Condemned
by ComposerDragon
Summary: Raven and Beast Boy are happily married and awaiting the birth of their first child, but when agents of the government come asking for the impossible, the Titans must embark on the chase of a lifetime. Rated for language and violence R&R!
1. Targets

**An idea that I've been developing for a while. This is going to be my most epic story ever.**

**Btw: the symbol (…) means a scene break. Just so you know.**

**Enjoy…**

"Want anything, Rae?" Beast Boy called into the living room from the kitchen.

"Herbal tea, please," came the response.

Beast Boy pumped his fist. "Woo hoo, called it!" He could imagine the eye roll Raven was giving him from the couch, even though he couldn't see it. He had already known that Raven would have wanted tea, so he had put water on. In fact, it was almost done. He silenced the whistling kettle and poured the water into a mug along with a tea bag. Then he went across the wooden floor to the coffee machine and poured himself a generous helping. He liked it black, so he left it alone after that.

Clutching both steaming drinks in one hand and the newspaper in the other he rounded the corner to see his wife watching the news, hand resting on her stomach. She had been doing that a lot lately. But it was because of the kid, wasn't it? The fact that he was going to have a daughter nearly made him start singing and dancing at the mere thought.

He handed Raven her tea, which earned him a light peck on the cheek and a warm smile. Then he sat down beside her, one muscular arm around her shoulder, the other holding his giant mug with the words WILD THING printed in black along the side. Raven had laughed when he had shown it to her at the store, but he realized later that she hadn't actually wanted him to buy it. That was why she constantly plotted the porcelain intruder's end; it was already spider webbed with cracks where it had been broken by various 'accidents'. Beast Boy had managed to glue it back together, mostly out of playful spite, but he wasn't sure how many more falls it could take.

"What are you smiling at?" Raven asked, almost warily.

"Just remembering." Beast Boy smiled. "You drank herbal tea multiple times every day, back at the tower. At first I had no idea how you could stand the stuff!"

Raven also smiled. "Then you started drinking coffee once you turned 16, I think. I thought you were doing it just to impress me!"

"Hey, coffee is a macho drink for macho men!" Beast Boy said, looking slightly hurt, but he wasn't, really.

"Is Bumblebee a macho man? She drinks more coffee than you do," Raven pointed out.

Beast Boy tried to think of a comeback, but couldn't.

(…)

The early morning light cast a golden sheen over everything, making the dew sparkle, and the windows of the quaint little houses glow warmly. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, and white clouds that looked as if they had been painted hovered there. It was like a scene from a child's drawing come to life.

Two men walked down the very center of the street, oblivious to the slight chill still hovering in the air, as the sun had just risen. Both wore crisp white suits that were so clean they were practically reflective. They both had shaved heads and professional-looking dark sunglasses. They also had small black speakers with mikes attached to their left ears.

If you looked outside on that almost cold morning you would see nothing but the two men, but they knew they were being followed, and by many people. This was planned. One of the men turned to check that no one was visible but them. Seeing nothing, he nodded slightly and muttered something into his mike.

Only a few more blocks to their target…

(…)

Beast Boy laughed as Raven punched him on the arm for a lame joke he had just told. She had learned to appreciate them as time wore on. She would always do something like that: punch him lightly, or dump water on his head, but she would always smile. Sometimes she would just laugh. He remembered back when Raven couldn't show any emotion at all, really, only about a decade ago. But then a rebuilt Azarath had learned of Raven's engagement to him, and as a congratulatory gift presented her with a gem that would control any excess energy released by her emotions. It also provided a direct link to the Azarathian dimension. Raven could now feel and live like everyone else; it was only when she got extremely emotional was she required to meditate anymore, or if she wasn't wearing the gem, which was never. He could see the golden chain now, standing out against her pale neck. She still meditated, though, out of habit and a stress relief. Beast Boy had tried joining her in the act, but he still didn't have enough patience, even now.

Hanging beside the gem was a little silver cross Beast Boy had given her after they had started dating. She never took that off, either.

Beast Boy's eyes traveled from Raven's neck to her stomach. It wasn't bigger yet, it was still too early. But thanks to Raven's intensive meditating, they had found out that she was pregnant way before any test could have told them, and that it was a girl. They had decided to name her Emily, after Beast Boy's lost mother. Emily Logan.

Raven noticed her husband staring. "We're going to be parents!" she said in slight awe, as if she couldn't really believe it. Beast Boy smiled, but then his face turned serious.

"You think that she'll like me, Rae?" he asked solemnly. Even though they called each other by their real names now, he still used the nickname that she used to be so sick of. Raven stared at him in surprise.

"Of course she will, Gar! You'll be the best father any child could want!"

"No I won't," Beast Boy muttered, hanging his head. "I'm the screw up, remember?"

"You may be the screw up," Raven admitted, "but that doesn't make you any less of a parent! Look at me, have I ever been wrong?"

Beast Boy's sad expression broke into a grin. "Thanks, Rachael."

(…)

The sun was slightly higher now, and the men's sunglasses reflected its light like mirrors. They walked in a perfectly matched pace, striding quickly but unhurriedly through the suburbs of Jump City. They would have been quicker, normally, but they were confident that their targets knew nothing of their approach. Even so, helicopters were stationed around the area, too far away for their rotors to be heard, and several snipers were in secure hiding spots around the house with orders to shoot if either family member went past the front sidewalk. Especially the woman. She must not escape.

Only one more street to their target…

(…)

"Who else has kids from the old team? I know everyone at least married," Raven wondered. Beast Boy tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, Cyborg… I mean Victor, married Bee… or Karen now, I suppose. And they don't have a kid yet, I don't think."

Raven laughed. "You don't have to get everyone's name right, you know. Superhero names are fine with me; that's how we knew them for most of our lives."

Beast Boy shrugged. "I wanna get it right, so when we see them again I won't look like a fool."

"Okay, fine. Rich and Kori married, and… I don't think they have one either," Raven continued.

"Yeah, think so," Beast Boy said. "It's only a matter of time, though, right?"

Raven shot him a look, and he shrugged.

"I'm sure Wally and Jenny got married," she said. "And they don't have kids either! Geez, are we the first?"

"Wally and Jenny? Who are those again?" Beast Boy asked, scratching his head.

"Kid Flash and Jinx," Raven explained. "Or, just the Flash now, I suppose. He's not a kid anymore."

"Hm…"

"What about Aqualad or Speedy?" Raven went on to wonder.

"Aquaman and Arsenal," corrected Beast Boy. "They're still in the hero business."

"No spouses?" Raven inquired.

"Nope. I think Aquaman is falling for this one Atlantean chick, though…"

"Well, that's good for him."

Beast Boy smiled evilly. "Didn't you once have a crush on that guy? When we first met him?"

Raven grabbed the newspaper and slapped him with it playfully.

(…)

They were right outside the house, standing at the bottom of the driveway. It was a small, nondescript, one-story dwelling, with white siding and green shutters. A large flower garden sprawled out by the door. One of their targets obviously had a green thumb. A battered black Subaru sat in the driveway.

As the two men in white stood there, other men in camouflage appeared out of the shadows like they had been molded from the darkness itself. They carried evil-looking assault rifles in their hands, and their heavy boots made surprisingly little sound as they made their way to the house, like the dead coming to life. One of them stopped and punctured the tires to the car, just to be safe. There could be no escapes.

The taller of the men in suits took out a small screen in his pocket. It was blinking green. All was cleared, it was time to engage.

With no hesitation, no nerves, the two men walked up to the door, followed by the soldiers, and blasted it right off its hinges.

Their target was here.

(…)

Beast Boy's sensitive ears twitched, and Raven stiffened as she suddenly became aware of many people outside of their house. Beast Boy helped Raven off the couch and began to make for the back door.

"Maybe we should…" he began, but he was cut off by the front door shattering to splinters with a loud bang.

Standing amid the dust and ruin was two tall, shaven headed men in crisp white suits with radios clipped to their ears. Armed soldiers filed past them and began to stand along the walls, guns pointing at Beast Boy and Raven.

"Do not try to escape," one of the suited men said in a monotone that was even flatter than Raven's. "You are surrounded by the country's best soldiers and snipers, along with air support."

"The country?" Beast Boy spluttered, outraged. "The GOVERNMENT is knocking down my door and pointing their rifles at me and my wife? We've done nothing wrong!"

"Why the hell are you here?" Raven snapped, eyes narrowing in a way that would make anyone flinch.

Except, it seemed, for these men. They went about their work calm and unruffled, as if they broke into innocent homes with the United States army every day. Their soldiers had now lined up around every wall, and a few more were opening trunks and cabinets, tearing open food, apparently searching for hidden weapons. The news was still playing on the wide screen TV, though no one could hear it anymore.

"Yeah, what's your deal?" Beast Boy instinctively pulled Raven closer, teeth bared in a snarl. If these men wanted a fight, they could have it; that door was an antique, picked out by Raven in an old shop in San Francisco…

"Our… deal," began one of the men, "is that we want your daughter."

**Oooh, a cliffhanger on the first chapter? I am evil.**

**I'm going to ask for 5 reviews here. If enough time passes without reviews, I'll post, but I'm willing to wait a long time. Reviewing will get these chapters up that much faster.**

**Hope you liked it!**


	2. Escape

**I've read author's notes that say "I only asked for 5 reviews, and I got 28!"**

**That didn't happen.**

**I would like to thank those 4 people that DID review, though, and now I would like to respond.**

To FelynxTiger**-haha, I am evil, aren't I? Don't worry, there's no cliffies like that for a while :). And thank you, I'm glad that you like it. Hope you like this too.**

To Mariabelle-**glad I can keep performing. Don't worry, this story is gonna be long.**

To Chico Magnifico-**wow! As far as I'm concerned, you're a fairly famous author around here, and when I saw that you had taken the time to review my humble story it made me very happy :). But yeah, too bad about the government, eh? You'll have even more reason to dislike them soon…**

To Gingerstorm 101-**thanks. Too bad that you don't like bb/rae, but I can't stop writing it!**

**Well, that's about it. Hope you like to read this chapter as much as I liked to write it.**

**Enjoy…**

"You want Emily?" Raven asked, dumbstruck. Her hand went protectively over her stomach.

"Yes," said the other man. "Your daughter is a threat to global security. She is too dangerous to exist."

"Too dangerous to… are you insane?" Beast Boy gasped angrily. "She's an unborn child, not a bomb!"

"Actually… that's exactly what she is, more or less. A bomb that can destroy the very threads of existence."

Raven looked stunned. "Wh-what do you mean?" she asked softly, eyes wide in sudden fear. Beast Boy understood why; had Emily somehow inherited Raven's genocidal destiny? If so, how did these dudes know about it?

"Think about it," the taller of the two men said, beginning to pace in front of them among the shrapnel from the front door. "One of you has demon blood in her veins, one of the most powerful and dangerous substances known to history. And the other has an incredibly unstable genetic code. Now alone, these are both fine, for Raven's exceptionally strong DNA kept her demon powers in check. But the combination of the two of you could create a child that, once born, will unwittingly unleash all of the forces of Chaos itself, ripping reality into pieces within seconds. She will never be able to control her own power."

"The government cannot afford to juggle the fate of all life on the minor chance that she turns out stable," said the other man. "She cannot be allowed to live."

"You're going to condemn our daughter because of something she MIGHT do?" Beast Boy shouted. He made a step towards one of them, but a sudden gunshot turned the changeling's coffee mug into a fine powder.

"Please don't move," pleaded the shorter man. "It would be a shame if you, as a former Teen Titans member, were to get killed."

"Snipers," Beast Boy hissed under his breath. "Dang it…"

"And because of your impressive national service record," the tall man said, "we are willing to make a deal. If Raven comes with us, we will keep her in comfortable confinement, dispose of the child, and let you two be on your way with no harm to either of you. Agreed?"

Raven was so mad she was shaking. The glass in the men's sunglasses cracked with a loud snap, and the TV exploded in a cloud of smoke and sparks. The pendant around Raven's neck was glowing so much that it showed clearly through her nightshirt and bathrobe. Some of the soldiers' impassive expressions were beginning to falter, especially when the barrels of their guns began to bend all on their own with loud screeching noises.

Beast Boy could sense that if this kept up Raven would blast a crater the size of Utah into the west coast, with them at the center, so he gently put his hands on her shoulders and whispered almost silently into her ear.

"Calm down, Rachael, we're never giving up Emily to sickos like these. Letting your powers loose could hurt her, though. And we don't need you getting shot."

Raven took a deep breath and slowly the shaking room settled down, floating objects clumsily sinking down to their previous spots. The TV gave a loud cough, but the fire flickered out.

"Can we… um… discuss your offer?" Beast Boy asked, trying to keep his voice as level as possible, hands still grasping Raven's shoulders. He mentally sighed in relief as he spoke steady and strong.

The men gave a sharp nod at the same time, which was almost funny.

"Alone." Beast Boy emphasized the word, glancing at the human perimeter that lined the walls. The men glanced at each other before nodding again, this time a little less convincingly. But the soldiers did file out of the kitchen, and Beast Boy and Raven went as far from the group of agents as they possibly could.

"What do we do?" Raven asked, almost panicky. Beast Boy motioned for her to calm down. On some level he noticed that this was off, Raven was always the cool, collected one in a crisis. But he supposed that the fairly newfound emotions and the threat to her child were pushing her over the edge.

"We need to think of something quick!" he whispered urgently back. "We're surrounded by snipers and foot soldiers and helicopters!"

"Wishing now that you had let Cyborg install a security system?" Raven hissed. Beast Boy winced. He hadn't thought it necessary.

"Too late for that," he muttered. "I think we need to surprise them. I'll break the window, then you set a shield quick and we make a run for it, sound like a plan?"

"It seems like they would be prepared for something like that, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps, but we don't have time to work out a perfect plan. Wild abandon has always worked for me, hasn't it?"

Raven smiled bitterly. "I'm not all that wild, actually."

"That's not true," Beast Boy said, also smiling a tiny bit. He kissed her on the lips.

"Good luck," they whispered simultaneously to each other. Then Beast Boy squared himself in front of the big bay window, and Raven stretched her hands out in the direction of the agents, prepared to cast a shield.

"Ready…" muttered Beast Boy.

"Hey, that's long enough," one of the suited men said, beginning to walk toward the kitchen.

"Set…"

"What are you…?" the man saw their positions and began to draw a large pistol from inside of his jacket. The stomping of soldiers' boots became evident in the living room.

"GO!" Beast Boy shouted, transforming into an elephant as Raven cast a massive black sphere, encasing the two. The kitchen wall crumbled like moldy cracker, and they rushed out into the back yard. .50 caliber shots bounced off the spell with ear splitting cracks. Beast Boy changed back into a human, and Raven decreased the shield size.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"So far," Raven nodded. Her eyes widened suddenly and she shouted, "GET DOWN!"

Beast Boy threw himself to the ground and put a protective arm over his wife as several grenades exploded beside them, sending the couple rolling backwards as the shield reflected the force of the attack.

Smoke had infiltrated their bubble, and Beast Boy coughed, helping Raven to her feet.

"We gotta go!" he shouted over the noise. It sounded like a tank was being driven down the street towards them.

"One more thing!" Raven turned and lifted her left arm, keeping her right one maintaining their protection.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she screamed, and a second later what felt like a hydrogen bomb detonated behind them, sending Beast Boy, Raven and the spell flying through the air and over their back fence, onto a different street.

"What did you do?" Beast Boy asked once they had landed.

"Blew up the house. I thought that might slow them down," Raven said, panting slightly.

"Wow… excellent," muttered Beast Boy. Raven shot him a look, and they both began to run away from the wreckage of their home.

(…)

For a second there was stillness, then the ash and rubble moved as living figures tried to get out from underneath it. Many were soldiers; two were men in white suits, which weren't all that white anymore. Dead, charred bodies littered the ground, along with shot casings. The lawn was on fire, and the thick scent of smoke hung in the air. The two men dusted themselves off the best they could, and walked through the remaining features of the house (a few blackened stone walls) to the back yard.

The massive tree that had once stood there was on its side, the trunk completely snapped, and bits of the house littered the area. Various burned books, a sink, and what looked to be half a pool table lay strewn about. There were no real marks in the fence, but a long gouge in the ground leading up to it made it obvious that the demon child and the shapeshifter had left over top of it, along with their magical protection.

"That did not go as planned," muttered the taller man, professional nature momentarily forgotten.

"Come on, we're not done yet," said the other, jogging towards the M1 Abram tank now sitting in the street beside them. "We still have a chance."

(…)

They ran for what seemed to be a long time, but Raven didn't dare let the shield down, just in case. She did make it invisible, though, after they had bumped into their 6th set of trashcans running around in the dark.

"Do you think we lost them?" asked Beast Boy, panting heavily, but still running.

"Dunno…" Raven gasped, clutching a stitch in her side. She was also getting woozy from keeping the spell up for so long. "They're the government, aren't they? They could be in the bottoms of our shoes."

Beast Boy cast a suspicious glance at his Nikes, but left them alone.

Raven coughed and suddenly lost her balance, tumbling towards the earth. Beast Boy swooped down and snatched her up before she hit the ground and into his arms, bridal style. He was still running the same speed as before, if not even faster.

"Sorry," whispered an out of breath Raven, brushing her hair out of her face and struggling to keep the shield up.

"Don't be. You focus on the fancy, complex, hard-to-do magic, and I can do the running part."

Raven couldn't help but smile. She gripped her pendant and a bit of the fear it had absorbed coursed back into her, which she used to power the spell. She was really out of practice, actually; shields used to be nothing at all. Maybe it was Emily's new presence that was throwing her powers out of whack.

They ran longer, houses flying by faster and faster. Beast Boy eventually transformed into a stallion, Raven sitting on his back as he flew down the streets. He began to wonder if they had actually escaped when he felt the rumbling.

People stared out their windows at the strange sight, jaws hanging open, papers dropping from loose fingers. A green stallion with a purple haired woman riding on it being chased full sprint down the avenue by a tank and several Hummers. Machine guns rattled from the roofs and doors, but the lethal shots bounced off a seemingly invisible wall.

Green and purple? Could that be Beast Boy and Raven? They lived around here. But why was the army chasing them? The Titans were the good guys, weren't they?

(…)

It was hard to even breathe inside the cramped confines of the tank, but one of the men in white managed to twist into a position from which he could see out the small window.

"There they are!" he shouted to his men upon seeing their targets again. "Fire!"

Fire they did, but the bullets had no effect. And they didn't dare use missiles in a suburban neighborhood. The man twisted again and managed to activate the microphone clipped to his ear.

"Fire weapon 2256-PNC-R," he instructed.

A panel popped up with a hiss on the surface of the tank, and a sleek black claw exploded out of it towards the fleeing superheroes in a puff of hydraulic steam. It sliced right through the invisible shield and wrapped around Raven, clamping tightly. Her agonized scream could be heard even above the tank's massive motors, and the purple haired maiden slumped forward on the rushing horse.

And the shield was gone.

(…)

_A tank? They send a freaking TANK after an unborn child?_ Beast Boy thought in incredulous disgust as he kept running, making sure Raven was still balanced on his back. His muscles were knotting up and burning like wildfire; he had never run this fast or this hard before.

Suddenly a loud metallic snap and a scream pierced the air, and Beast Boy's eyes widened. He would have yelled, could he have spoken.

_Rachael! She's hit!_

He felt her fall into his neck, and he raised his head to give her a better angle. What could have broken through her spell? Was the shield down now? Was she okay?

"I'm fine, Garfield, just keep running," gasped Raven, as if she was in great pain. "They fired a claw at me that's inscribed with runes. I'm not sure how they knew how to make it work, but I can't cast magic anymore."

Beast boy swore in his head. No shield meant that those bullets wouldn't bounce off anymore.

Soon the soldiers figured that out, too.

Beast Boy forced himself to run even faster, legs practically spending more time off the ground than on it. Bullets chattered from the mounted guns and kicked up the dirt around his feet. It was only a matter of time before they would get a lock and score a hit.

He saw a darker spot on the street rapidly approaching, and got a crazy idea. Putting on an extra burst of speed he gathered up as much momentum as he could, then transformed back into a human, catching Raven as they both flew through the air.

"Hold on!" shouted Beast Boy. Gunfire exploded around them, and Beast Boy landed gracefully beside the manhole cover. In one fluid movement he kicked it away and slid inside, disappearing into the darkness below.

(…)

The man in white's composure almost cracked in excitement as he saw the stallion transform back into a man. His momentum carried him through the air, and he pulled his wife close as he neared the ground.

There was nowhere to go now. His men fired all the guns they had, and the area around the changeling was soon almost lost in a swirl of dust and smoke. Through it he saw the green man perform some kind of kick and jump maneuver…

Then he was gone. Disappeared.

The man blinked rapidly and looked twice. He was really gone, just vanished into thin air!

The tank and Hummers skidded to a halt, blocking off the street and several front yards, and bewildered soldiers clambered out to see what had happened. The men in suits fought their way out of the Abram first and rushed over to witness the site where, just a moment ago, their target had been standing. When they saw what had happened, they groaned.

The manhole cover was gone. Their targets had escaped into the sewers. By the time a proper squad could be gathered, they would be long gone.

They had escaped this time. Next time wouldn't be so easy. There were only so many places he could hide.

**That's it for this chapter! Review to find out what happens next! I'm going to ask for 5 again. Please!**

**Read**

**Review**

**Tell your friends**

**Repeat**


	3. Regroup

**(sniff sniff)**

**I love you guys.**

**In just under 48 hours, I have received not the 5 reviews asked for, but 8! That's the most reviews for a single chapter I've gotten for any of my stories ever! All you people are awesome!**

**Now I'll answer them.**

To spartan585- **thank you! I try… and I don't think I'll be "disheartened" (nice word, btw) by lack of reviews anymore!**

To K-Flyer- **will I reunite the old team? Well, you'll see… (cough) yes (cough) who said that? **

To lilswmr427- **whoops… forgot about that :D. I'll make sure to explain that soon.**

To emotionalpoemgirl- **thanx! I was actually surprised that this idea hadn't been used before… to my knowledge, at least.**

To Chico Magnifico- **haha, I hate them too. Maybe I'll kill them off sometime… but thank you. Epicness is what I strive for, and I hope this chapter continues to please.**

To FallingDarkAngel- **thanks. I love your story "High School Changes", btw! Lol. Seriously, everyone needs to read that story. It's flippin' awesome.**

To Mariabelle- **I dunno, I has is a gramaticle and spellerific way of riting. That's a joke.**

**And you like it when I reply like… THIS?**

To Gingerstorm 101- **is this soon enough? Lol**

**Whew, that's almost a page of replies. Thanks again, and I hope you like…**

**CHAPTER THREE! **

**Enjoy…**

Even with the amber emergency lights, the tunnel was incredibly dark. Not to mention bad-smelling.

Raven leaned up against the filthy wall and tried to catch her breath. After Beast Boy had got them into the sewers they had ran for miles underneath the city, taking random turns and occasionally leaping over the disgusting river in the center to confuse their hunters. But there was absolutely no sign of being pursued. They had eventually stopped because they had no choice.

They had nothing to provide better light, but they had managed to detach the heavy claw from Raven's torso. There was a mild burn where it had touched, but no damage aside. It still stung like hell, though.

"Are you okay, Gar?" Raven asked, eyes closed.

"…Yeah, I'm fine," Beast Boy said, but it wasn't convincing.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked seriously, opening her eyes and resting a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. She could only see his hunched silhouette as he leaned against the wall, so she couldn't tell what was up.

"Please… don't touch my shoulder,' he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Why not…?" Raven pulled her hand away to notice it was wet and dark.

"You've been shot!" She shouted, staring at him in shock. "Why didn't you tell me? We could've stopped running sooner!"

Beast Boy shifted, and Raven could see his bright smile through the shadows.

"It's not bad; the bullets went right through, and it's not bleeding too much. And I had to make sure you were safe."

For a moment Raven couldn't decide whether to hug or smack him, so she did neither.

"Well, even if it's not bad, we need to get you treated," she eventually said. "Got any ideas?"

"I'm surprised you don't. What's the best medical setup in the city, with the best security, and is really close by?"

"Titans Tower?" Raven sighed. "I don't want to drag Vic and Karen into this mess."

"Me neither, but I don't think we can afford not to. Let's head out."

It was slow going. Carrying Raven had eventually made Beast Boy's wounds so tender that he could barely move his whole right side. Raven supported him the best she could while she checked their route on her communicator, which she always kept with her. She was thankful for that now.

The communicators were different then they had been. After the Brotherhood of Evil madness, every communicator had been destroyed, so Robin and Cyborg had designed new ones. These were about the same size and shape as an iPhone, colored silver with a blue double T logo on the back. Raven would have called the Tower first, but she was afraid to send out a signal, for she was certain the government was watching for one.

After a while they reached a ladder climbing up into darkness. The arrow on the screen of Raven's communicator pointed up them.

Raven gingerly laid Beast Boy down by the bottom of the rungs, much to his protest.

"I'll go up," he insisted. "It's you they're hunting."

"And you can't climb," Raven reminded him. "I'll be fine."

Beast Boy eventually nodded. "Just be careful. You can't cast shields anymore."

"I realized," muttered Raven to herself as she rubbed her burn absentmindedly. She gave Beast Boy a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be right back. Stay put."

She climbed up.

It took a surprisingly long time, trying to move so her burn wouldn't be disturbed, but she eventually made it to the cover. Pushing it up with her one hand just far enough for her eyes to see out, she peered around. No one seemed to be on the island.

As quickly as possible she climbed up onto the rocks, put the cover back down behind her and sprinted for the tower. She threw herself up against the wall and looked around breathlessly. Still no soldiers, just the sound of the waves crashing up against the shore.

Slowly turning around, Raven faced the door and punched an incredibly long code into the small keypad. There was a ticking noise, and a light flashed green. The door slid open and Raven let herself in.

The Tower was different than she remembered. It was a bit less modern and more… homey. There were different pictures on the walls, comfortable furniture, and assorted lamps. It was odd: it was almost as alien to Raven as the time Mother Mae-Eye had turned the place into a gingerbread house. But not quite.

She walked down the main hallway, footsteps echoing, and wished that she could still sense people. Thanks to the claw, she now couldn't, but it shouldn't be too hard to find them, right?

Raven walked through a pressure laser right above the floor and alarms went off. Spinning sirens extended from the walls, and several machine guns spun out from the ceiling and locked on to her.

"What is this crap?" Raven muttered. A separate cannon shot a net at her, which hit her square on and pinned her to the ground. Her face was pressed into the carpet.

After a short while a set of footsteps came tapping down the stairs and up to her. There was a click of a button and the net fell to pieces. Raven sat up, rubbing her burn, to see Bumblebee standing there, a confused and worried look on her face.

"What's up, Rachael?"

Raven winced as she ran her hands over a tender part of the burn and looked into Bumblebee's eyes.

"Garfield's hurt, Karen. And we've got even bigger problems."

(…)

A few minutes later they were all in the living room, Raven in a chair, Beast Boy laying on a couch, and Bumblebee standing before them. Raven's torso and arms were wrapped in bandages, and Beast Boy's right arm was in a sling.

Bumblebee's eyes had widened as they had told their story until Raven was convinced they were going to pop right out of her head and roll around on the floor. When they finished a lethal glare was on Bee's face.

"The government is trying to kill Emily?" she growled. "Those bastards. You did a good thing coming here, honey, we'll take care of you."

"I don't want to drag you into this crappy mess," Raven admitted. "I mean, Vic isn't really looked upon with favor by the capitol anyway, and neither are you, posing as Blood's pawn for so long. Thank you for the help and all, but we really should go."

Bumblebee shook her head. "I'll have none of that around here. No jerks in suits gonna hunt my friend."

Raven smiled a bit. "I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that."

"Hey…" Beast Boy cut in quietly. "Where is Victor, anyway?"

"Probably out at the gym," Bumblebee explained. "He goes there early every morning. I gave him a call to come back when Raven tripped the alarm; he should be here soon."

As if on cue, the garage door opened way down at the bottom of the tower, and they could soon hear Cyborg's heavy footsteps as he tromped up the stairs.

The door slid open and there he was.

"What's up, Karen, what's going…?" he began, but spotted Beast Boy and Raven all wrapped up on the chairs and couch. "Whoa, what happened?"

So they went through the whole thing again. Cyborg's face got angrier and angrier the more he heard.

"Jerks," he hissed, slamming a giant hand on the table. "This is going way too far."

"But what can we really do?" Beast Boy asked, leaning against Raven. They had moved to the same couch, while Cy and Bee lounged in the armchairs.

Everyone was silent, pondering.

"They're the United States Government!" Beast Boy continued, emphasizing each word. "If the system backs them, they can do whatever they want!"

"There's no way the people will stand for something like this," Bumblebee pointed out.

"True, but they probably will never know," Raven said grimly. "All the military will say is that we're a threat to national security. We'll be reduced to terrorists."

"Heck, the dude said Global Security," Beast Boy said. "Everyone and anyone will be searching for us, wanting us behind bars."

"Sorry that it is probably us now," Raven said sadly. "All of us."

Bumblebee waved a hand. "There's no problem. We're just helping out a few friends."

Cyborg nodded. "Each of you guys has saved our butts countless times. This is the least we can do."

"Thank you," Raven said. She felt sick that she had just probably made her friends enemies of the state, but she was relieved at the same time. With more people, what they had to accomplish seemed a bit less daunting.

But only a bit.

(…)

The agent in white walked through the circle of Hummers and Jeeps in the early afternoon sun, raising a hand to shield his eyes even as he wore sunglasses.

Soldiers were everywhere, cleaning their guns, doing drills, playing baseball, and numerous other games. It was hard to keep track of everything going on within the shifting, uniformed mass.

At the very back of the camp was a special order vehicle, part Hummer, part Tank, part RV. An awning was extended to provide shade, and beneath it sat a tall, thin, man in a lawn chair, sipping a cup of coffee. Nodding to the burly guards stationed on either side, the man in the suit walked up to his leader and stood before him at attention.

"At ease," said a soft voice. The man relaxed.

"How did it go?' asked the tall man. He wore a black suit, and had short, militarily cut silver hair. His eyes were dark but twinkling, and a hard, sarcastic smile played at the corner of his lips.

"Not so well, sir," muttered the agent, hanging his head. "They escaped into the sewers, and we were unequipped to follow."

The man with the silver hair clapped once or twice. "Very impressive on their part, kudos to them." He noticed his underling's defeated expression. "Don't be bummed!" the man exclaimed. "We're going after the Teen Titans, aren't we? I can't say that I'm surprised that they escaped."

"But where to, sir?" asked the agent. "We have no way of tracking them now."

"Oh, don't think tracking," said the black-suited man. "Tracking is too limited. Try reasoning; where would two injured Titans go when their country's against them and they desperately need help and a secure place to regroup?"

The agent shook his head slightly, looking confused.

The man in black leaned forward, lips curling into a confident grin. "Titans Tower."

**Alright, you can say it: I am the king of dramatic chapter ends, admit it.**

**Well, anywayz, on the topic of reviews… I'm gonna set the bar at 7. That way if everyone who reviewed this time reviews again, we'll already be over the top and I can release Chap. 4! And man, if you liked Chap. 2 you'll love the next one…**

**Peace out, homeez!**

**Lol**

…

**BAM! TOMAHAWKED!**


	4. Air Strike

**And here it is! The epicness that is Chapter 4!**

**Now for some responses…**

To K-Flyer-** well, you'll find out. That's all I can say without giving stuff away, sorry!**

To FelynxTiger- **bwahaha, I am so evil. Tremble in anticipation, readers! TREMBLE!**

**Lol**

To Spiritedheart4ever- **the plot wouldn't be nearly as interesting if they went around all polite and stuff.** **I've got nothing against guys in white suits personally, but** **I needed some people to be the bad guys at first.**

To Mariabelle- **Yes, Rob and Star will make an appearance soon. Don't worry.**

To FallingDarkAngel- **haha, thanks. And you'll find out eventually, just wait…**

To Gingerstorm101- **okay**

To wolfenstein- **thank you :)**

To haleytylers- **thanx, Im glad that you frickin love this :D**

To Chico Magnifico- **ah! Where did all these holes come from? I'll try and explain later in the story.**

**Thanks, yooz guyz!**

**And now…**

**Enjoy…**

Raven sat in what had once been her room, looking around. The walls had been painted over, and she had taken all of her things with her when she and Beast Boy had moved out. Of course, all of that was probably all dust and ashes, blown halfway across California on the wind.

She felt a slight pang of sadness. Some of those spell books had been hundreds of thousands of years old. She had only just begun to scratch the surface in some of them.

Emily was more important, of course, but still…

All those books!

She shook her head and looked down.

She was wearing a remnant of her old crime-fighting outfit, because everyone had agreed that going around in a ripped, singed bathrobe was not a good idea. It was lucky that she hadn't grown much since she had stopped being an active member of the Titans, because Bumblebee was taller and slimmer than Raven; none of her clothes would fit.

Her clothing was basically what she had always worn, except all white. The gems on her hands, belt and on the cloak were now light blue, though, as was her chakra. A small choker wrapped around her neck, holding the cross and the pendant. Instead of the shoes she wore before, she had knee-high white boots, and a black trim went around the edge of the cloak.

There was a knock on her door. Raven's powers were only just returning, so she couldn't tell who it was.

"Who is it?' she called.

"The pizza guy," Beast Boy said.

Raven laughed softly. "Come in."

The door slid open and Beast Boy strode in.

Finding an outfit for him had been a bit harder, for he had continued to grow like a weed even after they had gotten married. It was probably his genetics. He wore large brown boots, shredded blue jeans, and a skin-tight black and purple shirt with a large white "B" on it. He also wore fingerless gloves.

He sat down beside Raven. "Feeling okay?" he asked.

"As okay as I can, I suppose," she responded. "I mean, our child is being hunted by the government, our house and all of our belongings are gone, we just turned some of our best friends into conspirators, and we will never be able to return to our normal life ever again."

Beast Boy laughed bitterly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, it all kinda sucks, doesn't it?"

Raven smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Beast Boy wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close. "We'll make it through this. I don't know how, or when, but we will."

Raven smirked. "Yeah, that's very comforting."

"Hey, I try. And it's the only realistic reassurance I can offer."

Raven stood up. "I feel the need for tea."

"That's not surprising," Beast Boy chuckled softly.

They walked hand in hand down to the kitchen, where Bumblebee was sitting, reading the paper, as always, sipping on a gigantic mug of coffee.

Bumblebee did this pretty much every morning, as the two of them had found out in their few days staying there. Both Raven and Beast Boy's injuries had mostly healed already, due to one's above average blood and the other's jacked up immune system. All that was left was a giant bruise on Beast Boy's shoulder.

"Vic at the gym?" Raven asked, walking over and opening a cupboard.

"Actually no, he's down in the garage, working on his baby," Bumblebee said with a grin, taking another sip of her coffee.

"This early?" Beast Boy asked, flopping on to the couch.

"Yeah, he's obsessed. Still. After all these years."

"Well, that's who he is." Raven pulled a tea bag out and started up the kettle as she spoke. While Cyborg and Bumblebee thought tea rather repulsive, they always kept a box of the herbal variety handy in case Raven stopped by.

"Heh. Good old Cyborg," Beast Boy muttered. He thought he heard a deep buzzing noise on the horizon, but he dismissed it.

(…)

Apache Longbows and Blackhawks. A total of 30 combined.

They swooped low over the city, dodging between skyscrapers and making many heads turn. What was such a large number of military helicopters doing here, flying so low over Jump?

A squadron of twelve F-16s roared overhead behind the choppers, and the buildings actually quaked. They all flew in perfect formation, all towards the same goal.

One of the agents in white looked out of the smudged glass canopy of the lead Blackhawk at the 42 aircraft attack force he had amassed, and wondered if he had brought enough.

He was, after all, going up against Titans Tower, the stronghold of Jump City, one of the most technologically advanced and well defended buildings in human history. No to mention there were also at least four adult superhumans within it.

The F-16s' superior speed had taken them to the waterfront by this time, and they opened fire with a swarm of Hellfire missiles. They rose as one and dropped towards the tower…

(…)

There was a brief screaming sound as the kettle boiled before Raven removed it from the flame and poured it into her mug. Then she went over and sat with Beast Boy on the couch as he watched the Channel 10 news.

"Anything about us?" she asked, taking a sip.

"Nothing," Beast Boy replied, flicking through several other news stations too. "We aren't interesting enough, apparently."

"Or they're keeping the whole thing hushed up," Bumblebee said grimly, sitting down beside them.

"That's considerably more likely," Raven laughed.

"Hey… does anyone else hear that?" Beast Boy asked, rubbing his ear.

"Hear what?"

"I dunno… it sounds like a whole ton of…" Beast Boy froze.

"Helicopters."

Everyone was silent, and a slight buzzing drone could now be heard by all.

"Shit," muttered Raven.

Suddenly Cyborg was in the doorway, breathing heavily, like he had run up all the stairs.

"Hey guys," he panted. "We've got a problem."

Then the missiles hit.

Fire and thunder blasted the wall in, and everyone was lost in a storm of smoke and noise. Raven was engulfed in a blaze of orange light and crushing sound, and she felt the shockwave throw her off her feet and through the charged air, hitting the ground hard, pushing aside piles of dust and rubble. Raven got up from where she had landed, which was all the way across the room.

"GARFIELD!" she screamed as the ear-shattering roar of 12 fighter jets blasted overhead.

"Ow! Damn!" Beast Boy yelled, picking himself out of the wall. Cyborg had been thrown right through it, and Bumblebee lay a few feet beyond Raven.

"Is everyone okay?" Raven asked as Cyborg picked his way back into the room and helped Bumblebee to her feet.

"I hit my freaking bruise, but other than that, I'm fine," Beast Boy said, walking over to Raven.

"We're both okay," Bumblebee said, coughing on the dust that hung thickly in the air. Cyborg nodded.

"We really need to go," Beast Boy said.

"My sentiments exactly," Cyborg said grimly. He opened up his arm and typed on a small keyboard hidden there. What lights remaining intact within the room blinked red.

"What'd you do?" Raven asked. Everyone covered their ears as a large number of helicopters surrounded them.

"I set the tower on defense mode," Cyborg shouted above the noise. "That should keep them busy."

(…)

When the smoke from the missiles had cleared, there was almost no noticeable damage to the building's structure. The steel supports were bent inwards at a crazy angle, the windows were decimated, but other than that it was fine. But it was Titans Tower, after all. It would take more than 24 missiles to do much damage.

The Agent gave his men the command and they all descended in a giant circle around the top of the building. A heavy screen of acrid, black smoke was billowing into the sky, and small fires flickered here and there.

His finger tensed on the fire button. But wait… did he even need to? Had they perished in the explosion?

His question was answered when laser turrets folded out along the edge of the crumbling roof and opened fire.

(…)

The sound of screaming engines and flying plasma confirmed that the Tower's defense grid was indeed up and running. The racket grew even louder when the F-16s circled back around and began to fire their mounted guns at the turrets. Pillars of flame shot into the sky when one of them was hit.

"We'd… better go," muttered Cyborg, taking Bee's hand and leading them all towards the stairs.

"How long will that be able to hold them off?" Beast Boy asked, holding his shoulder with one hand and Raven's hand with the other.

"Erm… not very long," Cyborg shouted over the noise as a girder crashed through the ceiling and landed in their path. He blasted it out of the way with his cannon and kept going.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"Well, when we stopped being a superhero team the government banned me from designing any new weapons," Cyborg explained. They were descending the stairs now. "In all the time that's passed their jets and helicopters might stand an even match. And they have enough numbers to effectively level a whole city, much less one building."

"What happened to that shield you were working on?"

"Oh, that?" laughed Bumblebee. "Remember that really nasty electrical storm a few years ago?"

"Yeah, it blasted away half our roof, why?" Beast Boy asked.

"Well… that wasn't entirely natural," Cyborg smiled sheepishly even as he slammed a door off its hinges with his shoulder and leapt through the opening. "Sorry."

"Dude…" muttered Beast Boy, rolling his eyes. Only Raven noticed.

"So where to now?" she asked.

"Secret tunnel." was the simple answer.

Both Raven and Beast Boy exchanged confused glances.

"You remember how paranoid Richard was?" Cyborg asked. He looked over his shoulder to see them nod. "He came to me worried that he or Kori or anyone would need a fortress, I dunno, in case some old villain with a grudge came along or something. So we secretly built a tunnel under the bay connecting their house and here. We thought Rich and Kori would be running to us, instead of the other way around."

He shrugged. "We were going to connect your house as well, but never got your consent."

"That was part of the security system offer, wasn't it?" Beast Boy asked. Cyborg nodded.

"But do we really have to go and drag Rich and Kori into this mess?" Raven sighed. "I don't want to shatter what they've built up like I've done for you."

Bumblebee turned and began flying backward down the stairwell to better talk to them.

"That's sweet of you, honey, but think!" she said. "It will be all over the media that the military attacked the Tower, and those two will certainly find out. How do you think they'll feel if we don't ask for their help? They'll think we don't trust them!"

Raven bit her lip.

"Unfortunately, she's right, Rae," said Beast Boy. Raven looked at him in surprise. "The whole team is in on this, they'll want to be. No matter how hard we try to stop them." There was almost a grimace on his face as he spoke.

"Don't even think of doing this by yourself!" said Cyborg. Plaster fell onto his face and he sneezed loudly.

Raven swallowed shakily. "Thank you," she whispered. "All of you."

Bumblebee waved a hand and turned back around. Raven envied her for being able to fly. Her powers still weren't all back yet, and her legs were killing her.

After a while the sound of gunfire stopped.

"Dang," muttered Cyborg. "They shot down the last of the turrets."

There was a hollow whooshing noise and a loud boom as another missile strike rocked the Tower, and they all fell to the ground.

"What floor are we on?" asked Beast Boy through the smoke seeping down the stairs from behind. Raven squinted at the door beside them.

"Looks like Level 3, we're almost there," she said.

Suddenly the power clicked off.

"Great," snapped Bumblebee as Cyborg stood up and activated his shoulder mounted light. It made the dust in the air sparkle and glow strangely, like mist, almost. Another muffled boom, this time less powerful, echoed through the structure above them.

"We'd better move, y'all," Cyborg said, dusting himself off. The casing on one of his shoulders had a hairline crack in it. "It won't be long before they start to fire on the rest of the Tower."

They continued on, though slower now, and eventually reached basement level, the garage. It was pitch black, and no one dared venture beyond the small beam of Cyborg's light.

"Hold on," he muttered, and pressed a button on his arm. There was a click, and two sharp headlights cut through the gloom. A powerful engine rumbled.

"Hop in, everyone!" Cyborg said and climbed into the driver's seat of the T-Car. Bumblebee had shotgun, and Raven and Beast Boy managed to find the doors and clamber into the back seat.

They all jumped as one of the lights from the ceiling fell and smashed against the ground. Several tools tumbled off the shelves, and the water pipes shuddered as more missiles hit.

"Alright, let's go, guys," Cyborg said, and pressed a button on the dashboard. A garage door creaked open at the far side of the room leading to a rocky tunnel lined with emergency lights. Cyborg floored the accelerator, the 16-cylinder engine roared, and they blasted across the garage and under the bay, towards Robin and Starfire's house and away from the flaming ruin that was Titans Tower.

**Bah-Nah-NAAAAAAA!**

**So much drama.**

**I'm not going to set any # of reviews this time, it makes me feel obligated to update too soon! That doesn't mean you can't review, though!**

**However, I do provide a challenge/request. I need a name for the next chapter. In short, the next one contains them meeting Rob and Star and calling other Titans. The person who gives me the best name/idea for a name gets a… uh… special mention!**

**C' Ya.**


	5. Calling All Titans

**Well, here's Chap. 5.**

**And the special mention goes to…**

**YourMoosyFate! (epic name, btw)**

**Thank you to all who submitted ideas, they were all so good!**

To Linzerj- **thank you! **

To FelynxTiger- **haha, thanx. Hope you like this chapter too.**

To YourMoosyFate- **congrats on winning the "contest"! and at first I thought "would 24 missiles be too much?" but then I thought "hey, c'mon man, it's **_**Titans Tower.**_**"**

To Chico Magnifico- **thanks for the good ideas for chap names! But sorry, no Batman.**

**And yes, I already have the climax planned out. In fact, I have what happens in every single chapter written down!**

**And you know, now that I think about it, BB and Rae really don't get any happy moments in this story :( maybe I should fix that.**

To MathiasMatt- **thanks for the idea and the compliment!**

To FallingDarkAngel- **lol "omgosh" is the way I write best.**

**And um… yeah…**

**Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy Chap 5! It's long, and it's sort of a filler chapter, but still… it's very important.**

**Enjoy…**

The lights scrolled by overhead, illuminating Raven's now unusually pale face, then plunging it into darkness.

Light.

Dark.

Light.

Dark.

The expression she was wearing was one of disbelief and horror. Titans Tower had fallen.

This also drove home the fact that the government was prepared to kill to achieve their goal. They had sent in helicopters and fighter jets armed with _missiles _to eliminate her. And Beast Boy too, probably. Right in the mouth of the bay of one of the largest, most heavily populated cities on the west coast. It was madness.

She swallowed and looked at Cyborg's and Bumblebee's faces. They were set and determined. There was no remorse or sadness.

It touched her to find that her friends would sacrifice so much for her. It had been a while since she had fully thought so, but she still somewhat believed deep down that she wasn't deserving of such devotion. She still half expected one morning for Beast Boy to say, "April Fools!" and walk out the door.

But it seemed that it wasn't true after all. A single tear escaped the corner of Raven's eye, and Beast Boy wrapped a comforting arm around her.

After about 10 minutes of silent driving the tunnel ended. Cyborg brought the car to a quiet stop, killed the engine, and walked across the dimly lit gravel floor to a small intercom on the wall. He pressed the button and tapped his foot impatiently while waiting for someone to answer.

Then through the static came a voice that they all knew incredibly well.

"Karen? Victor? Is that you guys?" Robin asked.

"Yes it is."

"What's going on? I looked out my window and saw the Tower under fire! What did you guys do?"

"Um… can we come up first?" Beast Boy asked. "It's kind of drafty down here."

"Wait… is that you, Garfield?" Robin sounded like he thought he was dreaming. "Is Rachael there, too?"

"Yes," Raven said dully.

There was a pause.

Robin cleared his throat. "Yeah… by all means, come in…"

There was a tinny beeping sound and a door slid open out of the seamless rock wall. Inside was a rather normal looking elevator.

"Ladies first," Beast Boy said with a dry smile and let Raven and Bee inside first. Then he and Cyborg squeezed in after them, and the doors slid shut.

There was a shudder and a groan, then the doors opened again. Cyborg fell out backwards onto a tiled kitchen floor and the rest of them got up carefully and filed out.

They were in a stylishly themed kitchen, with dark wood cabinets and black granite countertops. The elevator door closed once they had all exited and the inside of a pantry slid over top of it, hiding it from view. The door swung shut with a soft click.

Standing at the far side of the room, jaw hanging open, was Robin. He was wearing sunglasses (Raven smirked) and a gray bathrobe. A walkie-talkie was in one hand, a mug of coffee in the other.

"Richard? What's going on?" a woman's voice carried from the stairs. "Why are you…"

Starfire stopped dead as she entered the room, vivid green eyes wide. She was wearing loose pink silk pajamas and was holding the newspaper under one arm. Her shocked expression turned serious at the sight of their bruises, and the fact that they were covered in dust and plaster.

"What happened?" she asked. Raven couldn't help but notice that her English was now much better, though it still retained some of her old Tamaranean accent.

"You'll need to sit down," Beast Boy said, and Robin wordlessly directed them all to the couch.

They all took turns explaining what had happened. It was Raven and Beast Boy's third time, and it still didn't seem quite real.

When they had gotten through the whole story, Robin was wearing an expression filled with more rage than any of them had ever seen, and Starfire simply leaned over and pulled Raven into a strong hug. Raven's pendant flashed white for a moment, then settled.

"So…" Robin muttered. It seemed all that he was capable of saying.

"We…" began Starfire. She glanced at Robin, but he nodded at her to keep speaking. "We are grateful that you have trusted us to help you. We will do whatever we can."

"So what's the plan?" Cyborg asked.

"I suppose there's only one course of action," Robin said after a pause. "We run. We have to keep Rachael and Garfield hidden and safe until Emily is born. Until then we can't risk getting caught."

_This is going too far! _ Raven thought anxiously. _I can't force them to go through this for me!_

"You really don't have to…" she began, but was interrupted by Cyborg, Bumblebee, Robin and Starfire all at the same time.

"Yes we do…"

"Stop sayin' that, we're helping…"

"I will not abandon my friends in a situation like this…"

"Shut up, girl, we are going to help you and that's final…"

Raven blinked, slightly taken aback by their enthusiastic response. Beast Boy looked rather shocked as well.

"Look," said Robin. "Rachael, I know that you've always hated pulling people into things because of you, and I admire that trait, but we WILL help. There's nothing you can say to change our minds."

"Well…" Beast Boy started, but Robin shot him a look.

"You too, Beast Boy. You've always wanted to protect everyone all the time, and you've saved all of us more than we might care to admit. It's time we pay you back."

There was an unsure pause, then Beast Boy's face broke into a wide grin. "Thanks, Rich. I knew I could always count on you."

They clasped hands and shook, smiles on both their faces.

"So what first?" Bumblebee asked. "It won't be easy getting out of Jump City."

"That is true, we will need even more help," Starfire added.

Robin took off his sunglasses and looked them all right in the eyes. His were a beautiful stormy blue.

"Time to get all the old teams back together. The Titans are back."

(…)

The Agent steered his Blackhawk above the smoke hanging heavy in the air and surveyed the Tower. There wasn't much left of it, just a large pile of crumbled concrete with some resilient steel girders poking out the top. Scanners showed that there were no bodies within the wreckage.

He grit his teeth and slammed his fist down on the arm of his chair. They had gotten away again! And this time it was nearly impossible to tell where they would be! From the island they could have gone to any part of Jump. They might even be out of the city by now.

"Objective failed, sir," he muttered into his headset. "The Titans got away."

"Very well, return to base," responded the voice of the man in the black suit. "We'll just have to figure out where they went next, won't we?"

"Yes sir."

(…)

"Alright, Titans, we need to blend in. Disappear. Ideas, anyone?" Robin asked them all. They had moved into the basement, which apparently could fold out into a full-fledged crime lab. Raven and Beast Boy couldn't help but smirk at that.

"Well… we should call everyone nearby," Cyborg said, shrugging. "We'll need all the help we can get."

"Yes, you're right," Starfire said. "I'll do that."

She plopped down in a swivel chair and waited as the screen flickered to life.

"Well, Garfield and I will need new clothes," Raven said in monotone. "I mean, everyone will know our faces eventually, and most around here already do, but a white cloak is a bit conspicuous. As is this guy's goofy shirt."

"Hey now…" Beast Boy said.

"Good point," Robin agreed. "We'll have to get to a shop… Vic? Do you still have your disguise rings?"

"Yeah, but I've got only one pair, though."

"Can you make more?"

"I'll try," the metal man said. "I'll go get some stuff from the car."

He walked up the stairs and out of sight.

"We have connectivity," Starfire announced from her chair. Everyone gathered around and watched the screen. It fizzed for a few seconds before the memorable face of The Flash appeared.

"Hey, wuzzup?" he asked, cocky smile on his face. "What's the problem?"

"Wally, who's that?" called Jinx from somewhere out of sight. They could hear the sound of a shower running.

"Um…" Flash glanced back at the screen before answering. "It's Richard, Kori, Garfield and Rachael."

"What do they want?"

Flash paused. "What do you want, anyway?" he asked them.

"We want help," Starfire said grimly. The group them proceeded to explain. Raven and Beast Boy stayed mostly silent. Raven didn't want to help incorporate her friends into losing everything, even if she couldn't stop them.

When Starfire had finished speaking, Flash's face was wearing a look of disbelief.

"Seriously…?" he whispered. "That's… that's…"

For once Flash was lost for words.

"Will you help?" Robin asked.

"Well… yeah! Of course!" Flash stuttered. "Hang on, I'll go get Jenny."

There was a burst of dust and the man before them was gone. They could hear a conversation in the background.

"Ah! Wally? What are you doing in here?"

There was a muttered reply.

"Wally… Wally! Just because you can talk in super speed doesn't mean I can listen that fast! Slow down!"

There was silence, then…

"WHAT?"

"That's what happened!"

"BUT THAT'S SICK! YES, WE'LL HELP!"

Flash was suddenly back. "She… um… agrees with me."

"Yes, I do!" Jinx snarled, walking up behind him, wrapped up in a towel and hair hanging wet down her back. "What do you need? I'll take them all out by myself!"

"Whoa, easy, Jinx!" Robin said, slightly surprised. He hadn't expected her to react so fiercely. "We just need you guys to help us leave the city and go into hiding. Can you be here in a few hours?"

"I can be there right now!" boasted Flash.

"I can't, though!" protested Jinx, pulling on her dripping hair, looking rather distressed. "But I will be able to go in a bit."

"We'll be here. See you soon," Robin said, and ended the transmission.

Raven stared at the floor. More people giving up all they had…

Beast Boy noticed this, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Rae Rae. Just don't worry."

"I hate this!" she whispered back. Her pendant buzzed slightly. "Everyone is giving up EVERYTHING! I don't deserve this!"

"Yes you do! Deal with it!"

Raven was about to launch into a full-scale, self-degrading rant about how she didn't deserve any of it at all, but at that moment the screen fizzed back to life.

"Yo?"

It was Arsenal, once Speedy. His hair was still super short and slicked back, but the bow across his back was enormous, more than twice the size of his old one.

"Roy, how are you?" Starfire asked politely.

"Ha! Is that you, Kori? And there's Rich! Man, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It has, but unfortunately we don't have time to catch up," Robin said.

Arsenal's happy smile slipped off his face like oil off water.

"What happened?"

So Raven listened to it all again, eyebrows knit and frown on her face.

Arsenal growled. "That's just sick."

"So you can help?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah, I can…" he began, but then the background behind him flashed red.

"Aw…" Arsenal muttered a nasty curse under his breath.

"Looks like Steel City needs you," Robin mused.

"Yeah… stupid villains… I'm really sorry, Raven, Beast Boy… but I don't think I can leave."

"It's okay," Raven said softly. Inside she did a little dance. _Yes! Roy lives!_

"No problem, Roy," Robin said, smiling wryly. "We all know how it feels."

"Sorry again!" Arsenal called as the connection quit. Raven hid the small smile on her face.

"One more…" Robin muttered, and then the screen showed Aquaman.

"Richard! What's up?" he asked, looking surprised. Behind him was complete darkness.

"Garth? Um… where are you?" Robin asked.

"Oh… long story," Aquaman muttered. "So what's going on?"

And the story replayed once again. Aquaman's reaction was similar to everyone else's, disbelief and rage.

"They… they…"

"Can you help us?"

"I would be honored to…" Aquaman began, but then the screen blinked and the Atlantean stumbled.

"Curse that squid," he muttered. "I'm sorry guys, but I don't think I can…"

The screen died.

"Well… I suppose that's it, isn't it?" Starfire said, swiveling back around in her chair to face them.

"So it seems. Everyone else is too far away," Raven said, trying to identify what she was feeling. It was foreboding about what she would have to face, and how little help they could gather, but also a bitter taste of happiness; that some of her friends wouldn't be dragged into it. Just because they wanted to help didn't mean she wanted them to.

"So… now for a wardrobe change?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yep, that's next on the agenda," Robin said, nodding, then he pulled out his communicator.

"Cyborg?"

The metal man appeared on the tiny screen. He was apparently still in the cave beneath the house.

"Yeah, Robin?"

"Can you bring up that pair of rings that you have?"

"Sure, man, I'll be right up."

Robin turned to them. "Beast Boy, you're going to wear the rings, since your green. Raven, we're just going to have to disguise you."

"I can probably handle that," Raven said. "Give me another cup of tea and I'll have enough of my powers back to change my appearance."

"Excellent," Robin said. "Raven, go make tea."

(…)

The Agent was back at the modified Hummer, standing under the awning and trying to not be nervous. But it was proving to be a challenge. He had gone in with 42 aircraft and still he had failed. Sure, his superior had sounded calm over the radio, but…

The door of the vehicle swung open, and the man in the black suit stepped out. The Agent snapped to attention, but once again he was waved down.

"So…" the man began. "Where are the Titans now?"

The Agent shrugged.

"Well, where would they go?"

"Sir… with all due respect, they could out of the city by now."

"Yes, they could be…" the man nodded, thinking. "But I think that they would stay a lot closer to home. Check what other Titans live in the area."

"Yes sir."

(…)

One cup of tea later, Raven and Beast Boy were all set. Thanks to the rings, Beast Boy now had olive skin and blonde hair, as well as a taller and thinner build. His eyes were still emerald green. Raven had managed to use her magic to disguise herself; she now had long black hair that hung to her mid-back and crystal blue eyes. She was also a bit taller, but not by much.

"Okay guys, be careful out there, alright?" Robin warned them, making sure their costumes were convincing. "Just run out, buy clothes, and run back."

"Relax, Richard, we're going shopping! What could go wrong?" Beast Boy laughed. Robin shot him a look.

"A fair amount, actually."

Beast Boy wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "We'll be fine, dude. Chill, okay?"

"Please come back soon," Starfire pleaded with them.

"Don't worry, Kori, we will," Raven assured her.

They walked out to the garage, where Robin's car was waiting. It was an old Volvo station wagon, with a dented side and a cracked headlight. The R-Cycle was leaning up against the wall.

"You can take my Volvo," Robin told them. "Just… please be careful."

"You already said that," Raven reminded him.

"Well, yeah, but I've been around the horn with that car. I would like it back."

Raven rolled her eyes. Men.

Beast Boy hopped in the driver side and ignited the ancient engine.

"Lighten up, dude, we'll be right back!" he called as Raven slid in beside him.

There was a cloud of exhaust and the car rattled down the driveway and onto the street. Robin and Starfire watched them until they were out of sight. Starfire noticed Robin's expression, and slid a hand around his shoulders.

"Calm down, Richard," she pleaded. "This'll all work out."

"This isn't anything like before, Kori," Robin said, looking up at her. "We're facing something much more powerful than anything else we've ever encountered."

"Even more powerful than Trigon? Than the Brotherhood of Evil?" Starfire asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… maybe not in terms of firepower…" Robin admitted. "But the government has influence! If they can convince enough people, they can do just about anything! What if I fail?"

"You won't," Kori assured him, and hit the button to close the garage door.

(…)

The sniper sat in the trees across the street from the house, looking through the scope of his rifle at the garage. The door was closing, but he had gotten a good look at the people inside before the shadows had enveloped them. It was definitely Robin and Starfire. He had gotten a look at the people in the Volvo, too. They looked different, but it could be seen that they were Raven and Beast Boy in disguise.

He shifted his rifle to the side and turned on his headset.

"Found them."

**Wow. Can things possibly get worse?**

**It's not even really a secret that they can, and almost certainly will.**

**Watch out for more, and review!**

**Bye-bye.**


	6. Blockade

**Hello, all. I'm back.**

**Yes, I realize that I should have updated this forever ago, but the arrival of high school has taken up most of my free time. And also, my mother has passed away recently. Things have been tough.**

**So now, I respond.**

To YourMoosyFate- **well, to quote Men in Black: "A person is smart. People are stupid."**

To Rosebud in Amber- **:D**

To FelynxTiger- **it's not ooc? Huzzah! That makes me happy. And yeah, writing from the Agent's POV is fun, but it's also difficult because they don't have names :)**

To Nyalowlo 625- **thanks. And don't worry, I read your rant. While there's no way I could have known any of that (I'm not buying the comics, and is busted, so I can't read them), they're all good points. Maybe I'll go back and change some names around. Writing "Raven" all the time would be much easier than writing "Rachael" in the dialogue and "Raven" everywhere else. **

To Beautiful Storm Dancer- **Don't you just feel so sorry for them right now?**

To FallingDarkAngel- **Thanks**

To Gingerstorm101- **…**

To Linzerj- **Ah! Bad suspense! (slaps it with a rolled up newspaper). Don't worry, it'll be back…**

**Thanks for all the reviews! Keep 'em coming, and please be patient with me as I try to overcome my personal troubles.**

**Enjoy…**

Raven woke up the next morning, but she hadn't really slept much the previous night. It was more 'returning to a full state of awareness' than 'waking up'.

She ran her hand through her hair and sighed. Yesterday had been a nightmare. First the Tower had been bombed, then she had spent the rest of the day recruiting. And… shopping… (shudder).

She swung her legs off the side of the bed and walked over to her dresser, proceeding to pick out an outfit. She settled on a simple set of jeans and a white T shirt with a swirling, black design on it. As she held it up, she remembered the conversation she had had with Beast Boy on the way home from the mall.

"_Rachael… I have a question," Beast Boy said as he drove, eyes fixed on the road ahead of them._

"_Yeah?" Raven asked, staring out the window at the trees sliding by._

"_When those guys came to our house… why didn't you use your pendant and go to Azarath?"_

_Raven was caught off guard by the question, and her disguise faltered momentarily._

"_What?"_

"_Why didn't you leave? Why don't you leave?" Beast Boy had turned to look Raven in the eyes. She waved at him to focus on driving._

"_I… I thought about it… when they had first come in," she began. "But I knew that if I had, they would have shot you instantly. And even if they hadn't it… takes two days to open a portal from Azarath to Earth big enough big enough to fit a person through without my spellbooks. By then you could have been anywhere."_

"_But what about your pendant? If we were holding hands or something…"_

_Raven shook her head. "My pendant will only take me, even if someone else is touching me or it. That way, if I'm trying to run away and someone grabs onto my arm, I won't take them along by mistake."_

_Beast Boy nodded. "Sort of a safety system."_

"_Yeah…" Raven said. She was still focusing out the window._

"_But the next chance we get, you're going to Azarath."_

_Raven violently shook her head. "No way. I'm not leaving you."_

_Beast Boy looked as if he was about to respond, but he didn't._

"Why me…" Raven muttered. She slid a hoodie on over her outfit and walked out into the kitchen.

Standing around the island was Robin, the perpetual early bird, Bumblebee, swigging from a huge mug of coffee, and Beast Boy, surprisingly.

"Hey," she said, walking up and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing, waking up so early?"

"Waking up?" he laughed bitterly. "I never went to sleep. Me and Victor were up all night."

"Victor and I," Raven couldn't help but say. "But why?"

"Just something to help us get out of the city," Beast Boy said evasively. "Vic's out charging right now."

"Okay…" Raven said. "Where are Wally and Jenny?"

"Just getting up, I think," Robin said, rubbing his eyes. It didn't look like he had gotten much sleep either.

"When did they get here?" Raven asked. Once Beast Boy and herself had returned from shopping she had went right to sleep.

"An hour or two after you guys came back, I think," Bumblebee said.

There was a burst of sound and Flash was suddenly standing among them.

"Hey, got any…" he began to ask, but then he noticed what Bumblebee was holding. "I see you do. Got any more?"

"I don't think caffeine is a good idea for you, Wally," Robin said. "You're already hyper enough."

"Psh-aw" Flash said.

"And you also forgot your pants," Raven commented. Only then did Flash notice that he was only wearing white boxers with lightning bolts on them.

"Hehe… oops…" he muttered. He disappeared for second, there was a scream from Jinx, and then he was back, fully clothed.

"Better?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Much, thank you," Raven said.

Suddenly the door to the hallway opened and Cyborg came strolling out. His human eye had bags underneath it, but he was alive with energy. It reminded Raven of when he had first built the T Car.

"Hey there, BB, Bee, Wally, Rich and Rachael," he said, giving the men high fives, Bumblebee a kiss on the cheek and Raven a light hug. "How's it goin'?"

"Tired, but good, Vic," Robin said. "I think we're ready."

"Dude, we are so ready," Beast Boy grinned. "Wait till all of you see what me and Cy built."

"Cy and I," Raven muttered.

"Isn't that a drug?" Beast Boy asked, puzzled.

"That's Cyanide," Bumblebee laughed.

There was a pause as Cyborg popped some waffles into the toaster.

"Someone should probably get Jen and Kori up," Raven said.

"I'll get Kori," Robin said, heading for the hallway.

"…and I'll get Jenny," Flash added, following Robin. This time he walked, which was rare.

(…)

Jinx yawned and opened her eyes slowly. She had never been much of a morning person, and for some reason Flash's ability to wake up lightning fast made her all the more tired.

The door creaked open, and a tall lanky figure was outlined in the hall light.

_Speaking of whom…_

"Hey there, Jinxy-poo, time to get up," Flash teased. Jinx rolled her eyes and tossed a pillow at him. He caught it with a snap of his wrist and was suddenly sitting at the end of the bed.

"No seriously, we gotta run," he told her.

"Maybe you've gotta run, but I don't wake up that fast," Jinx muttered. "Give me a minute."

Flash watched as she slowly stretched and stood up, but his patience was short.

"Maybe a little light will get you moving," he laughed, and before Jinx could stop him, he ran over to the window and pulled the curtains away…

To find himself staring down the barrel of a tank.

"Oh no…" he whispered.

"RUN!" screamed Jinx, and Flash had picked her up and dragged her out of the room just before the shot blasted through the window and incinerated the room.

(…)

Everyone in the kitchen stumbled as a deafening explosion shook the house. Raven almost fell, but Beast Boy caught her arm.

"What was that?" Starfire asked, rubbing her head. She had tripped into a cabinet.

Suddenly Flash was in the room, covered in dust and holding Jinx under his arm like a sleeping bag.

"Tanks! Lots of them! Everywhere!" he stuttered as he put his wife back on her feet.

"Dangit, let's move!" shouted Cyborg, and then the wall was reduced to matchwood. Through the smoke Raven could see at least three tanks and about 5 rows of soldiers, all pointing their rifles at them as they fled deeper into the house. Standing in front of them all was-

_Those men in the white suits!_ Raven realized. _They're still chasing us!_

Beast Boy grabbed her arm and pulled her along behind him, down the staircase to the basement and through a secret door, the path behind them being blasted to sawdust as they passed.

"Revenge later," he muttered. "Escape now."

They all stumbled into the underground garage where the T Car was parked. Dust fell from the ceiling and the bulbs flickered and crackled. They could hear soldiers in the actual basement above them as the tanks stood by outside.

"That's a lot of firepower," Robin remarked.

"So wait, where's this project you and Garfield were working on?" Raven asked, spinning in a circle. All she saw was the T Car, and that looked pretty much the same.

"Right here," Cyborg said proudly, patting his car on the hood.

"That's great, honey, can you turn it on and get us out of here?" Bumblebee said, smacking a rock away from her as it fell.

Cyborg frowned, obviously miffed that, despite everything, no one was taking more interest in his newest creation, but he dutifully tapped a button on his arm.

Raven gasped and Beast Boy smiled as the T Car transformed. The doors extended and thickened, blast shields rolled up over the windows, enormous tires spun out around the wheels, and a giant snowplow-resembling wedge unfolded from under the hood. The lights turned on and the engine started, and the tunnel _shook_.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Cyborg said happily, "say hello to… the T Tank!"

"Get in, guys," Beast Boy directed, opening a heavily armored door and waving them all inside. Raven obliged, as did the others, and soon they were all crammed in on top of each other.

"Sorry for the tight fit," Cyborg apologized, sliding into the driver's seat. Beast Boy went shotgun. "We had to make room for all the weapons systems."

"What kind of wea-" Robin began, but was interrupted by a huge explosion rocking the room. Beast Boy turned on a small screen on the dashboard and studied it.

"They're right behind us, dude!" he exclaimed.

Cyborg grabbed a joystick and yanked it back. "Weapon number one: 20 inch proton cannon."

The T Tank rocked backwards on its impressive suspension, and Raven could barely see the far wall crumble to dust through the narrow windshield.

(…)

The taller of the two Agents nodded at the report he was receiving through his headset and turned to his comrade.

"They have been sighted inside the house, heading to the basement."

The shorter Agent nodded. "Surround them, but be careful. We don't want any more trouble."

The other man relayed the information to the troops. Both men were nervous; what if the Titans escaped again? They weren't sure how much longer their superior was willing to be patient.

There was more chatter of gunfire and the muffled booms of tanks, then the Agents jumped as the entire left side of the house disintegrated in a pulse of blue light.

"What now?"

(…)

Raven clutched her stomach and curled into a ball as the T Tank motored up the slope and out into the open. A constant wave of shells vibrated the walls, and the continual firing of the cannon above them sent them rocking all the more.

"Hey, Victor, can you drive a bit… smoother? Possibly?" Raven called above the noise as she fought back a wave of nausea. A tank shot hit them and the vehicle tilted dangerously to the side.

"Sorry, Rachael, I'm doing the best I can," Cyborg called back, not turning around, and Beast Boy shot her a sympathetic glance before returning his gaze to the battle. Raven clenched her teeth as they fired another devastating pulse from their primary weapon, then glanced at her companions. Robin, Starfire and Bumblebee were crammed against the walls, discomfort apparent on their faces, and Flash and Jinx were sitting in the middle, Jinx curled up and shivering in her husband's lap.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked, crouching down to see that Jinx's eyes were wide and constantly shifting.

"She's claustrophobic," Flash explained, hugging her tighter. Raven lay a light hand on her shoulder.

_I can't believe this! _ Raven thought. _This is the middle of Jump City suburbs, and the army is just blasting away! What about the crossfire? What if someone innocent gets hurt?_

_Well, they already are shooting at the blameless, _she amended. _What's a few more?_

They all jumped as a well-aimed blast exploded underneath of them, sending them into the air for a split second.

"Dammit, we can't break free!" Beast Boy snarled. "Rachael, can you teleport us?"

Raven closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, but the loud and shuddering atmosphere kept her from doing so.

"There's too much action, I can't focus!" she called back. "Can you stop their shots for a little bit?"

Beast Boy glanced at Cyborg. "Should we use it?"

"Not here," he replied. "I'm not going to hurt anyone we don't have to, even if they are. Dick, Kori! What's the nearest open space?"

"The soccer fields," Starfire shouted back. "They're three blocks away."

With a loud battle cry, Cyborg slammed the gas pedal down as far as it could go. With a mighty roar the T Tank exploded forward like a racecar, sending soldiers scattering and a tank batted aside like an intruding fly. Jinx whimpered as the small, enclosed space rattled, and Raven buried her face in her knees, hoping the movement would just stop soon.

They had managed to violently bust through the offensive wall, but behind them the government forces were rallying and beginning to give chase.

"Garfield! Launch a Swarm Missile!" Cyborg shouted as he hunched over the wheel, jaw set. Beast Boy lined up a set of crosshairs on the rear-view screen and then slammed his hand down on a button.

There was a strange hissing sound, then silence.

Raven stared at the small screen on the dashboard as a shining star shot away from them and fell into the midst of the pursuing army. Almost as soon as it hit the ground, the missile casing broke apart and millions of fire-cracker sized explosives rushed out like a swarm of glowing bees and buried themselves into the folds of the soldiers' armor. As one they all detonated in a puff of smoke, and line after line of troops fell.

Raven put a hand over her mouth, and Beast Boy noticed.

"It's non lethal, trust me," he said. "It'll just give them a nasty burn and a large bruise."

Raven was about to respond when a tank shell slammed into their back, throwing them up. Everyone in the back fell to the metal floor with a loud bang, and Cyborg bashed his head against the ceiling.

"What street are we on?" Robin asked as he shakily tried to stand.

Cyborg peered out the window. "Cypress!"

"Good, turn right and we should be there!"

Cyborg threw the wheel to the right, and suddenly the ride got even bumpier as they rattled over the grass. Shots kicked up the sod behind them and a few tanks put large craters disturbingly close to their sides, sending up large fountains of flying earth.

The brakes were applied, and the T Tank skidded sideways and rocked to a stop. The army instantly surrounded them and began to close in, guns raised.

Starfire peered out of the microscopic back window at the advancing soldiers. "Cyborg…?" she said warily. "They're getting closer…"

It was strangely silent. Raven could feel her heartbeat in her temples as the troops got closer and closer. She looked up to see Cyborg hunched over with his finger hovering above a button. His attention was focused out the window, sweat running down the human side of his face.

One soldier's hand had reached out to touch the car. It was drawing closer, closer, it was inches away…

"NOW!" Cyborg shouted, and slammed on the button.

A blue energy dome burst from the T Tank, rapidly expanding and pushing the troops, the tanks, and a few surrounding trees away from them. Loud noises of burning energy, crashing metal and shouts of surprise rang out in the air. It was as if time had been stopped, then suddenly put on fast forward to make up for what had been lost.

"Rachael, now! We've got 15 seconds!" Beast Boy shouted. Raven instantly put her hands on the sides of her head and squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating.

Outside, the shield had stopped growing was beginning to shrink, and many of the soldiers were getting back up.

_It's no good, _Raven thought. _The effects of that claw are still here, I can't use my powers!_

"Nine seconds…" Cyborg said. One of the tanks had landed upright, and was now turning to face them.

"Rachael…" Beast Boy said. "Any second now would be great…"

_Come on, come on…_

"Five seconds…"

The shield was now only five feet beyond the tank, and the soldiers were following it on its edge, waiting for the defense to disappear.

_Why won't this work? I'm so close…_

"Three seconds…"

"Come on, Rachael!" Flash said.

_I can't do this…_

The shield faded away with a hissing sound.

"Rae, please!" Beast Boy begged. "You can do this!"

_No I can't!_

"They're right on top of us…" Robin breathed.

"Rachael!" Starfire shouted.

There was a sound of light thuds as the soldiers began attaching things to the car. Was it explosives?

"Now or never, Rae!" Cyborg said.

"You can do this!" Beast Boy said.

_COME ON!_

There was a flash of white, and the entire tank was turned into a silhouette. In a puff of dust it disappeared, leaving the grenades behind. The men in white wore identical looks of disbelief.

"Not again…"

(…)

The man in black walked down the hallway. He was normally a level-headed man, but now beads of nervous sweat were beginning to form on his forehead, and his tie was making it ever harder to breath than usual.

There had been too many failures. He was now reporting to his boss for more orders.

And his boss terrified him.

He reached the door at the end of the hallway and stopped. It was large and imposing, made of dark wood, and with a small symbol of an eagle printed by the handle. The man reached out, grasped the eagle talon knocker, and swung it down three times.

"Come in."

The man swallowed, straightened his collar, and entered the room.

The room was dimly lit, and it was almost impossible to see. He could just make out a glass conference table in the center, with the silhouette of a large man sitting in an armchair at the end. The man in black snapped to attention.

"At ease. Your report?"

"Targets proved to be too difficult to capture, sir," the man in black said quietly. Why was his throat so dry? "Mission was unsuccessful."

"That's too bad," said the velvety voice from the shadows. "You may go now."

The man in black, scared even more by this quick and blunt dismissal, preformed a salute and silently left the room.

The man at the end of the conference table leaned over and spoke into an intercom.

"I'm sorry to say it's time to resort to unwanted help," he said. "Release him."

"And the weapon, sir?" came a grainy response.

The man paused, thinking.

"Send them both."


	7. Blood and Nightmares

**Another chapter is written! Here's where you get to see how disturbing my mind can really be…**

To Beautiful Storm Dancer- **I would love to console you, but that would ruin all the fun!**

Gingerstorm101- **I can't tell you. Sorry!**

To Chico Magnifico- **thank you. I've realized recently that there isn't much breathing room at all in this story. The effects of that are beginning to get more apparent in this chapter…**

To FallingDarkAngel- **Thanks**

To FelynxTiger- **thank you. I actually have a sketch of the T Tank in my drawing pad, if I ever get a DA account I'll make sure to upload it.**

To Guardian of Night- **don't worry, there is much more (for now, this is only part 1). And the review did help, btw. They all do.**

To YourMoosyFate- **all very good questions. I cannot give answers yet, though.**

**I would like to give all of you a big thank you again! A big thank you for your excellent reviews and your sympathy in this trying time. I'll try and make it up to you by making this the best damn story I can.**

**Enjoy…**

She was tied, unable to move.

Her arms and legs were bound together by thick ropes of cloth, and those in turn were fastened to a rusty metal pole in the middle of a dusty courtyard. The sun beat down from a cloudless sky, and the ground seemed to waver and twist under a shimmering mirage.

She heard a loud clicking sound, and she turned her head to see a group of anonymous soldiers exiting from a small door in the crumbling stone wall. Pulled behind them was a group of 7 people, all badly beaten and blindfolded, chained together.

She recognized them, and tried to call out, but suddenly she was gagged and couldn't make a sound. She could only slump against her bonds as she watched the faceless men line up all of the prisoners against the wall. Tears began to run from the corners of her eyes as she stood as a helpless audience. They were so damaged. The cracks in one's metal arms and legs shone in the relentless sun, and the blood sparkled off of another's green skin. This one seemed to notice she was there, and turned in her direction, trying to see through the blindfold. One of the soldiers slapped him, and he hung his head.

Another man came out of the door, and his perfect white suit gleamed. For some reason this man had thorny antlers growing out of his head, and was glaring at them all through four red eyes.

"Let them go! Please!" she called out, gag disappearing. "I'm the one you want!"

"Global security," was all the man said. He smiled, revealing a grotesque mouthful of fangs, and made a motion with a gloved hand. The faceless soldiers lined up in front of the chained prisoners and leveled their rifles.

"Give me the child," the man in the white suit growled.

She could only shake her head. Tears spattered the dusty ground and were instantly soaked up.

There was another twist of the gloved hand, and flames seemed the flicker into the air from his fingers. The soldiers put their scopes up to their black eyes.

"NO!"

There was a loud bang, and the air was tinted red. It splashed across the stones and onto her face. She couldn't wipe it away, and it burned there like acid.

"Global security," the man repeated. Somehow his suit was unsoiled. "Best for everyone if you cooperate."

She felt her stomach drop, and suddenly the man was holding an infant child in his hand. He grinned, teeth shining in the sun, and he very slowly pulled a thin, silver pistol from his coat.

"Please…" she sobbed. Blood dripped off of her chin.

He only laughed, a painfully familiar sound to her, and tensed his finger on the trigger.

"Rachael!" a faint voice seemed to call from the sky, but she couldn't take her eyes off the child.

The trigger moved, so slowly, and with a puff of smoke and a distant bang, a golden bullet exited the barrel, and she could track its movements. It was soaring closer and closer, unstoppable, and the man was laughing, and a soft crying sound echoed in her ears, and she was being shaken strongly by a firm hand. Blood boiled on her face, and her name was being called…

Raven screamed and woke up. She stared around for a second at the interior of the tank, then collapsed into her husband's shoulder, sobbing hysterically.

"Shh, shh… it was just a dream," he soothed her. "Just a nightmare."

The rest of them watched with wide, nervous eyes as Raven tried to speak, but she was so terrified she was shaking uncontrollably. Beast Boy hugged her closer, eyes closed.

"You… all of you… broken, bleeding…" she managed to gasp. "Chains… SHOT…"

Everyone glanced at each other, grim looks on their faces. While Raven's words were almost incomprehensible, her message was clear.

"And him… four red eyes… he had Emily, Garfield!" she shouted, gripping his shirt. "He shot her!"

"Who?"

"The man in the white suit! He had my father's eyes, and Emily… he just pulled a pistol out of his coat and shot her right in the forehead!"

"Relax, Rachael… it was just a dream…" Robin said softly.

"You don't understand, Richard!" Raven practically screamed, leaping to her feet. "Azarathian's dreams are more than nightmares! Sometimes they predict the future!"

"Rae… from what you've said, your dream doesn't make any sense," Cyborg said from the driver's seat. Raven wheeled to face him. "I mean… you said he had Trigon's eyes… and he doesn't. How can that be the future?"

Raven sighed and sat back down next to Beast Boy, rubbing her temples. "So where are we?" she asked, voice cracking.

Cyborg looked over his shoulder at the gps display. "Somewhere on the southern California coast."

"What happened after we teleported?"

"When we arrived here you were unconscious," Starfire explained. "Victor preformed a medical analysis and concluded that you were not hurt, so we set up our defenses and waited. Just before you woke up you were screaming and thrashing about in your sleep."

"I'm sorry guys…" Raven began, but Bumblebee stopped her.

"Don't be. You got us out of there just in time."

"Did we lose the army?"

"For now."

(…)

Brother Blood breathed in the salty coastal air and sighed. He was free of his wretched cell, but not truly free. The soldiers provided for him were wearing a sort of device that cancelled out his persuasive control, and they kept their guns on him at all times. He was merely a superpowered figurehead for the government, who had promised him freedom in return for destroying the Teen Titans. He highly doubted that they would keep their promise, but if there was even the slightest chance, what choice did he have? And eliminating the Titans wasn't so bad either. They had air-dropped him and his hired army about twenty miles away from their targets, in fear that Cyborg's advanced sensors would pick them up if they were any closer, and had left them to walk the rest of the way.

He shook his head and closed his human eye, focusing on the displays on his cybernetic one. Being half robot was indeed hard to get used to, but it had its advantages. One of which was that he didn't have to carry around a holographic map like his army did; it was all in his head. Not that he would have needed a map anyway; one look and he would have had it memorized.

The coordinates displayed over his vision showed that the Titans were camped out approximately twelve miles away, on a remote rocky beach.

He sniffed the air again and flinched as he walked. Despite his name, he had always despised the smell of blood and flesh, and it was heavy on the wind. They would have never found the location of the former superheroes without the beast wrapped in chains behind him, but he regretted ever agreeing to take it with him. It was so… _unnatural,_ and it couldn't be controlled. There was a group of twenty men assigned to hold the chains, and twenty more with electric ropes, but even that was barely enough. It was a monster, plain and simple, and it revolted him. Its rancid meat smell, its savage growls… disgusting. He preferred machines to creatures every time.

He checked his display again. Still twelve miles.

Slow progress, but they were getting closer.

(…)

They had decided to set up some makeshift tent resembling structures outside the tank under the shade of the rocks for the sake of Jinx's claustrophobia, which was driving her near insane. Raven was assigned to lay in one of the tents on the most comfortable surface they had and try to get some real sleep, but she was doing rather poorly in that respect. She was so terrified of having another dream like the first that all she could do was lay there shaking, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. Her composure was completely shattered.

Beast Boy peered discretely around the corner of the tent flap to see Raven's eyes still open and turned back to his friends.

"We have to do something," he pleaded with them. "She's broken… I've never seen her so vulnerable."

Cyborg laid a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be okay, man, she's just scared."

"Do you hear what you're saying?" Beast Boy asked. "Rae doesn't get scared! She's always strong enough to take anything head on, and now she can't… it's not like her!"

Starfire bit her lip. "She is not normal, Garfield. Our species are similar in the use of our powers, so I'm assuming other aspects are as well. When Tamaraneans are with child, our powers cease to work and we may become moody and sullen, which is not natural to our race. I fear Rachael may be experiencing the same thing."

"Being pregnant is causing her to act in ways she normally wouldn't," Robin elaborated. "Energy she normally might put into controlling her fear is now being directed towards Emily."

Beast Boy's shoulders sagged and he sunk to the ground with a drawn-out sigh.

"I'm not sure what to do anymore," he confessed to them. "Both me and Rae are falling apart. With her in such a weak state and me being me, I don't think we can last much longer."

Cyborg laid a heavy hand on his shoulder, forcing the changeling to look into his eyes.

"You can, dude. And you have us, remember? We'll make it through this."

Beast Boy nodded, but the clouds of doubt remained heavy upon him.

(…)

Nine miles. Walking was so slow!

Blood rolled his human eye and turned around to face his army, which was almost out of sight behind him. He spat on the ground and teleported back to them.

"WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG?" he shouted into a soldier's ear, causing him to jump and scream. Brother Blood fumed, arms folded and metal shoulders hunched.

"I… I… um…" the soldier stuttered. The troops surrounding him were beginning to shy away slowly.

"Spit. It. Out." Brother Blood hissed. "Now."

"Well… the weapon… it sort of…"

Blood raised an eyebrow.

"It ate three of our men, sir, and now it's in a rage. We can barely keep it controlled."

"What?"

"The energy whips won't contain it for long."

"Fine. Bring me to it."

The soldier reluctantly led him around some of their vans to the weapon was. Blind, animalistic insanity was apparent in its eyes, and bubbling foam spilled from its scarred lips. The mighty twists of its head sent the men holding the chains sliding across the ground in a shouting pile.

Brother Blood made a face and held out his hand. A pulsing red light sparkled on his fingertips, and the wild movements ceased.

The soldiers watched in awe as Brother Blood lowered his hand and walked back to the head of the army.

"Now hurry up, please, or I will have to let it eat another one of you."

(…)

Raven slowly sat up, wiping cold sweat from her forehead. It was obvious that she wasn't going to sleep like everyone wanted her to. And her pendant was beginning to burn against her skin.

She coughed and rubbed her eyes. What was wrong with her? Her emotions were running so high that her jewel couldn't contain them all, and she felt sick; her head was spinning and waves of nausea were washing over her in sickening regularity.

Maybe she couldn't sleep, but what about meditation? Perhaps she could figure out what was going on with her senses.

While unable to levitate, she assumed the position and attempted to find her center. Instead, all she could feel was an aura, white, and swirling blackness beyond. She frowned. The white aura was Emily, but where was Nevermore? What was going on?

She was suddenly overcome with a startlingly realistic vision.

Raven was standing in the middle of a grey forest, surrounded by monochrome trees in every direction. She spun around, trying to catch her breath and orient herself, but the air remained thin, and everything was spinning.

"Rachael."

She whirled to see that the nearest tree had taken on the face of Beast Boy, the bark twisting his normally handsome face into something painful and distorted. The other trees were forming into the likenesses of everyone else, and then random people she had never seen before.

"Why did I love you, Rachael?" moaned the tree with Beast Boy's face upon it. "You have only brought me pain."

At the whispered end of those words, the tree burst into flames.

She screamed and jumped back as the whole forest caught, face after face crumbling to charcoal in towers of heat. One by one they fell to ash, until she was surrounded by drifts of the residue, blowing into her eyes on the bitter wind.

Raven gasped for breath and soared back to the real world. She stared at the ground, disoriented and sick. The thoughts of the ash and blood rose the surface of her clouded mind, and she threw up onto the dirt beside her. The acid burned in her throat.

She leaned back and stared at the ceiling, panting.

"What is wrong with me?" she asked the canvas. There was no answer.

(…)

The sun was past its highest point, and was just beginning to slide back towards the Earth. Brother Blood checked the coordinates once again. Five miles.

"Weapon check," he called back to his men.

"Still calm enough," replied one of his higher-ranking officers. "Though I think it's getting restless."

"Not to worry, we are close."

Brother Blood turned back to the rocks he was hiking over. He didn't need any sensors at all to tell he was near the Titans; he could feel the rebellion, the "spirit", rolling off of Cyborg like oil. He smiled grimly. That problem would soon be remedied. Cyborg was his.

(…)

Jinx found her husband sitting on top of the ledge that hung over the T Tank, keeping watch for any threats. He turned, saw her, and invited her to sit beside him.

"What's up?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her.

"I'm worried, Wally," she admitted. "I'm worried Rachael is cracking under the strain, I'm worried Garfield is going to lose it once Rachael does, and I'm worried that we're not going to make it out of this."

"We will, Jenny, don't worry," Flash assured her.

Jinx smirked. "You're a terrible liar."

Flash's smile faded slowly, and he looked out into the sunset again.

Jinx felt her husband's lean body tense, and she instinctively went on her guard. "What is it?"

"There's something on the horizon…" he said softly. "I can't tell what it is, but it's big and it's moving slowly."

"What is it?" Jinx muttered to herself as she spotted the object too. It was meant to be a rhetorical question, but Flash answered her anyway.

"An army."

Jinx grit her teeth in anger as Flash suddenly leapt off the cliff, down into the midst on the camp below. Cyborg shouted as the man landed beside them, eyes wide.

"There's an army coming this way!" he said breathlessly.

"That's what it is? I saw something on the scanners but I just assumed it was a herd of something, there's no air support."

"Herds of animals don't move in formation," Flash said grimly. "Or drive vans."

Bumblebee swore, and Beast Boy turned pale, which was actually and sickly pea-green color. Robin and Starfire frowned.

"Should we run?" Starfire asked.

"I don't think we'll be able to get away without another chase," Flash said. "They're too close, and they'll see us leaving."

"And Rae's in no condition to teleport us," Beast Boy added.

"Well, they know we're here," Cyborg said, walking over to the T Tank. "Why not send them a greeting?"

He tapped a button, and a missile shot out of the roof of the car.

(…)

Brother Blood stopped his men as he noticed a bright dot on the horizon, getting larger. He quickly zoomed in with his electronic eye to reveal that it was a missile, colored in Cyborg's signature electric blue and grey scheme.

"A missile, sir?" one of his men asked. Blood nodded, zooming back out.

"They know we're here."

"Should we take evasive action? Launch a counterstrike?" another man asked.

"No," Blood said. "That missile is designed by Cyborg, evasive actions and counter missiles won't do any good."

"Then what do we do?"

Blood smiled and spread his hands out beside him, taking a deep breath through his thin nose.

"We're going to jump the last few miles."

There was a flash of red, and the entire army teleported.

**Holy snap!**

**What's going to happen now? Is Raven going insane? What's this weapon Brother Blood is preparing to use? How will Cyborg react to seeing his old nemesis? Will the Titans make it out of this alive?**

**Review to satisfy that gnawing curiosity now, and then live with the rest until Chapter 8. It'll be a blast!**


	8. Ambush Pt I

**Phew… what a chapter. The longest one ive ever written. Ever. In my entire life. I feel rather proud of it.**

To FelynxTiger- **haha, we all love Brother Blood, don't we? I'll work on the sketches.**

To BonclaysFan- **Thanks**

To Guardian of Night- **Thank you! Here is the more you asked for.**

To Gingerstorm101- **Raven's mental stability is still being debated, but yes, there will be many villains featured here. How on earth will I keep track of them all?**

To Black Torn Angel- **The best so far? Wow… thanks! Im honored! Mine certainly isnt the best out there, tho, so you have that to look foreword to!**

To DancingPickle101- **Blood's ickiness is amazing. Its so… deliciously icky, y'kno? Thanks for the comments, and I hope you like this new chapter!**

**That's about the sum of what I have to say, so… have fun! Hope you like the biggest fight scene ive ever made!**

**Enjoy…**

The entire camp (aside from Raven) watched breathlessly as the shining star Cyborg had launched arced across the sky, parting the clouds that were flushed red from the sun as it slowly began to sink back to the horizon. The missile pulsed at its peak altitude, then rushed back towards the desert to disappear among the rocks. There was a ringing silence, then a burst of white. There was a few seconds of just color, then everyone covered their faces as a blast of wind and sound whipped into them, unsettling all of the sand as it went, leaving it to drift slowly back down. They all stared at the blast site, which was charred black and billowing smoke.

"Dang…" Bumblebee muttered.

"Did we hit them?" Robin asked. His question rang in the empty air, and no one answered.

Suddenly, in a flash of red, there were soldiers everywhere. Snipers were packed onto every available ledge, troops choked the clearing, and military vans were piled haphazardly onto wherever there was the slightest room. There hadn't been nearly enough time for them to file in, they had just _appeared_, surrounding the Titans completely.

"What the- " Flash gasped, leaping backwards in surprise. His arm went unconsciously around Jinx, whose teeth were clenched in rage.

"How did they…" Starfire began, but she stopped short when a man separated himself from the crowd, a tall, thin man with a sharp face, piercing eyes, and red metal limbs…

"Blood!" Cyborg snarled, activating his cannon and leveling it at the former HIVE headmaster's head. "What the hell are you doing around here?"

"Isn't it rather obvious, Cyborg?" Blood asked, studying his metal nails. "The government wants to capture you rather badly, I must say. They were even willing to hire me."

"Hire you?" Beast Boy asked incredulously.

Blood nodded. "In return for capturing Raven and killing the rest of you, I get my freedom back."

Everyone gasped, despite the rather unsurprising notion of the statement. It would never sink in, how deep into trouble they were.

_They're actually willing to hire and potentially free one of the most dangerous villains the country has ever seen just because Emily MIGHT be dangerous? _Beast Boy thought, enraged. _This is madness! Next thing you know it'll be Trigon showing up with a police badge! What happened to the constitution? This can't be even remotely legal._

"You sound like you think this is going to be easy, Blood," Robin said, drawing a bow staff out of nowhere. "All you have is foot soldiers as backup; we've faced off against much worse with fewer numbers."

"You underestimate me, Robin!" chastised Brother Blood. "You really think that this is all I would bring?"

He turned to a broad man behind him with a severe white mustache and steel grey eyes.

"Release it."

The man pressed a button on a control console on his wrist, and a low, animalistic, but strangely metallic growl echoed off the rocks behind them. The soldiers began to back slowly away from a spot behind Brother Blood, looks of terror on their otherwise neutral faces. Blood smiled widely.

"Sic 'em, boy!" he laughed, and the T Tank split in half.

Everyone screamed as a massive dark shape could be seen through the smoke and sparks, tearing the metal with its mouth as though it were made of wet paper. The tents were thrown roughly away, rolling across the ground and smashing into stones.

"RAVEN!" Beast Boy screamed, and sprinted to the tent she had been in, which had been actually lifted off the ground by the violent twisting motions of whatever was making mincemeat of the Tank. He pulled the torn fabric away to find her laying awkwardly across the ground, arm twisted up behind her in the tent material, and a steady stream of blood running from a large cut across her forehead. Her eyes were closed, and when Beast Boy lifted her shoulders she fell limp.

"No, Raven, no…" Beast Boy choked, pressing his sensitive ear to her chest. He sighed in relief when he heard a strong heartbeat. She was just unconscious.

Cyborg saw Beast Boy run to the tents out of the corner of his vision, but he refused to let his gaze drift from Blood for even a second. His robotic eye zoomed in on Beast Boy as he cradled a limp figure in his arms. Cyborg held his breath as he scanned Raven's comatose form, then relaxed slightly when he saw the readout. Still alive.

He then turned part of his attention to whatever was hidden in the debris of what had been his greatest creation. He cleared away the smokescreen on the image to reveal some sort of beast, a massive being made up of half flesh, half metal that was roughly the size of a small bus. It had an enormous jaw made of titanium with razor sharp teeth lodged within it, and powerful legs grotesquely fitted out with hydraulics. What little of its real skin he could see was rough and bare, covered in hideous scars and screws.

"What on earth…" he whispered, turning all of his attention back to Brother Blood, who was still standing there, arms folded confidently over his chest. Robin, Starfire and Bumblebee had gone over to help Beast Boy, while Flash and Jinx stayed beside him.

"Rather impressive, isn't it?" the telepath asked, wrinkling his nose. "Although it's also rather disgusting at the same time."

"What is it?" Cyborg blurted out. "What the hell did you create this time?"

"Me?" Blood raised his hands innocently. "I know I have a fascination with cyborg technology, but that monstrosity is not my handiwork. It's not streamlined at all, powerful as it may be. That is all the government's, my dear friend."

Cyborg was so shocked he let the "dear friend" comment slide.

"That thing was made by the government?"

"Indeed," Blood confirmed. "It was a failed experiment, much too violent. I suppose they thought it would make a nice weapon to capture the Titans with."

Blood turned so he was fully facing Cyborg.

"But I'll let your friends handle that," he grinned maliciously. "You, Cyborg, are mine."

"Don't worry, Cyborg, we can take 'im easy!" Flash shouted, dropping into a fighting stance. Jinx spread her arms out in front of her, hands glowing bright pink. Both were about to make a move when, to their surprise, Cyborg held an arm out in front of them.

"No. You guys need to help Raven and get out of here safely. He's mine."

"That's right; it's just you and me," Blood said, red light leaking into his eyes. "Let's see if your 'spirit' can get you out of this!"

With a yell of rage, Cyborg fired his cannon, and the battle began.

(…)

As soon as Cyborg had shot his first sonic blast, all of the soldiers had immediately sent a rain of bullets cascading into the clearing, filling the air with smoke and noise. Beast Boy rolled out of the way with Raven held tightly in his arms while Robin, Starfire, and Bumblebee formed a semicircle around him, blasting the projectiles out of the air. Jinx appeared and tried her best to make a shield, but her powers weren't potent enough to make a sturdy one last for more than a few seconds. Flash rushed off to find a way up to the edge of the cliffs to take out the snipers.

"We can't… keep this up!" grunted Robin, smacking bullets away with his staff, making it just a grey blur. "We need a good shield! Kori, can you make one?"

"I cannot!" Starfire said, shooting little starbolts out of her fingers to intercept the shots. "My powers are only meant for offense, not defense! Bullets will not bounce off!"

"Same here," Bumblebee admitted. "I can make a shield shape, but we would all be electrocuted."

"Damn!" Robin shouted as a bullet scraped across his cheek, leaving a fine red line. "We need Raven! Beast Boy, is she waking up?"

"No!" Beast Boy shouted desperately from behind them. "She's out cold!"

"And we still have that to worry about," Jinx added, pointing quickly to the beast that was still turning the T Tank into fragments. Robin grit his teeth.

"This is bad."

(…)

Cyborg yelled in frustration as his fight began taking the same turn as all the previous ones had; him throwing punch after punch and Blood just ducking and weaving, arms folded calmly behind his back.

"You're not even trying!" Cyborg screamed, taking another cannon shot. Brother Blood simply dodged underneath of it, coming right up into Cyborg's face.

"You want trying? Fine, no games this time! This is trying!"

Blood stabbed his fingers into Cyborg's abdomen, lifting him off the ground and through the air. He then disappeared in a blur the reappear above the injured man, delivering a drop kick that drove him into the rock a solid foot.

"Let's face it, Cyborg, you can't beat me!" Blood said, placing his foot on Cyborg's chest. "You may punch hard, but you're just wasting energy! I'm much more agile, and that means you can't touch me!"

"Shut up!" Cyborg yelled, grabbing the older man's foot and throwing him away. Blood landed lightly on his feet and came rushing back at Cyborg, hands crackling with red electricity.

"I will not tolerate this!" he yelled, cool demeanor momentarily lost. He threw jab after jab, hitting Cyborg in the head, then the stomach, then the leg, then the shoulder, all too fast for anyone to keep track of. "You will not take that tone with me! It seems not even aging will teach you respect!"

Another uppercut lifted Cyborg off the ground again, and this time Blood sent a spinning kick right into Cyborg's metal jaw, sending him flying away in a heap.

"You could never defeat me in a fair fight, Cyborg! You still can't!"

(…)

The gunfire was beginning to lessen some, thanks to Jinx crumbling the rock beneath the snipers' feet and Flash simply knocking them over the edge. The ground fire was still heavy, though, and the monster that had destroyed the tank was now turning its attention towards them.

"What is it?" Starfire asked as they saw its face clearly for the first time; a horrendous mess of metal and scar tissue molded around a gigantic false jaw and two glowing red eyes.

"Blood said it was a failed government experiment," Jinx explained, throwing a 6 ton boulder into the army in front of them as she spoke.

"This is where our tax dollars are going?" Bumblebee muttered, watching the monster warily while fighting the gag reflex building in her throat. It smelled _awful,_ like rotting corpses and iron. What sick mind had thought up something this… disgusting?

"Anyone have any idea at all what we're dealing with here?" Robin asked. He too refused to take his eyes off the creature. Something about it just leaked danger.

Everyone shook their heads slightly as a response to Robin's question the beast took its first steps towards them. The soldiers nearest the monster dropped their guns and flat out ran, and all of the others nervously lowered their weapons and stood back. Everything was quiet save for the loud explosions from Cyborg's fight and the noise the creature was making. Every step brought the sounds of imperfect hydraulics, and every breath rattled and banged around inside its massive metal throat like a stone was being thrown roughly down it.

Suddenly Flash appeared beside them, shirt ripped and jeans worn down at the knees. "Did I miss something?"

At that moment the beast opened its mouth and screamed.

Wires and bulbs inside the massive jawbone of the monster glowed bright white as the unearthly wailing, grating sound blasted from within it. The sound gained a physical presence, pounding the rock to gravel and vibrating the very air. Everyone was thrown completely off their feet, hands over their ears and mouths locked open in silent screams of pain. The noise struck an irrational, primal fear into their hearts, making the dominate thought an overwhelming desire to run, to get away from the terrible sound. Beast Boy in particular was in unbelievable pain and fear; every single animal within him was desperately trying to flee.

After what seemed like an eternity the scream stopped and the lights within the creature's throat dimmed and died. Robin dabbed a finger at the blood leaking from his right ear and turned to the rest of them.

"Titans, go!"

(…)

Cyborg had been lying on the ground, dazed, after the monster had screamed. It had been silent, then suddenly his robotic eye had gone dark and an electric whining had begun deep inside his head. His sensors couldn't even handle the amount of sound, and the only thing he could remotely compare to it was the noise of the enormous sonic cannon Blood had tried to use to make a tidal wave. Only so much worse.

The screaming had eventually stopped and he sat up slowly, one arm cradling the hole in his chest and the other holding his head. The video feed from his eye snapped back on to reveal Blood on the ground as well, pressing his palms against his ears.

"There's disadvantages of being a cyborg, aren't there?" Cyborg asked him, walking over and lifting Blood off the ground by his neck. "You realize that now? Realize that you threw your life away?"

"Threw it away?" Blood snorted. "Maybe you have the lack of foresight to see it that way, but I view it as a limitless possibility. Look at all the things we can do that normal men can't! We are superior!"

"Shut up!" Cyborg shouted, twisting Blood through the air and driving his head into the ground. "It's horrible, living like this! My entire life is gone because of this! And you… did it willingly! How can you be so insane? Why would you do it?"

"So I can do this," Blood hissed, and shot a burst of lightning out of his hand, knocking Cyborg away again. "Back when I was a normal man I was weak, I admit it. I hid behind leagues of students, playing the role of a mere puppet master. No more! I upgraded so I could finally defeat you, Cyborg, the only problem I ever faced!"

He shot another wave of electricity at Cyborg, lifting him off the ground before throwing him back down.

"And it worked, too! You NEVER beat me in a fair fight! NEVER!"

_That's the second time he's said that, _Cyborg thought, rising to his feet. "What do you mean by fair fight? All of them were fair, just you and me!"

"NOT THAT LAST ONE!" Blood raged, eyes pulsing red, hands crackling with crimson static. "I SPENT ALL MY YEARS IN PRISON TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT KIND OF TRICK YOU PULLED! AND THEN I REALIZED; IT WAS NEVER YOU AT ALL!"

"What the hell are you talking about, of course it was- "

"No! You CAN'T do things like that, Cyborg, it's impossible! I realized that my hypnotic grip must have slipped on one of your friends during the battle, probably Raven! SHE was the one that repaired you! IT WAS NEVER YOU!"

Cyborg stared, shocked. The man was unhinged, clearly insane. Raven hadn't been able to move at all, and he remembered the feeling of Raven's powers. That feeling hadn't been present.

"It doesn't matter if it was all me back then or not," he growled, raising his sonic cannon. "It's all me now. I'm gonna win this fight, and I'm gonna walk away."

"We'll see," Blood sneered, then leapt forward.

(…)

At Robin's command, the Titans all activated their weapons and fired, aiming for anything that looked remotely vital. Explosive disks and Bird-a-rangs were flying out of Robin's hands so quickly his arms were a smudgy blur, Starfire was shooting out of her eyes and hands at the same time, and Bumblebee was running so hot her electricity was coming out bright blue. Jinx was sending out almost a solid block of pink waves, and Flash had tornadoes soaring out of both arms. Beast Boy stayed put, crouched protectively over Raven.

The furious onslaught lasted until everyone was at the point where they were forced to stop, and they did, eyeing the smoking figure warily. Through the damage Flash could see blue light starting up, and his eyes widened in fear.

"It's gonna scream again!" he yelled. "Find cover!"

Everyone hit the deck, and another powerful wall of sound exploded out of the creature's mouth, brushing the smoke away. Outside of the direct path of the beam the pain was less intense, and they could all see that the monster's skin, while burned and bleeding in most places, was relatively unharmed.

"Damn," Robin cursed, absentmindedly feeling his belt for the disks he knew were depleted to zero. "What can we do to hurt this thing?"

"We must get close to it," Starfire said, eyeing the beast's legs. "If we are able to sabotage the hydraulics on its ankles, we will immobilize it."

"Of course," Robin breathed. "Go for precision! Titans, attack its feet! Bring it down!"

Everyone leapt out from behind their rocks and ran at the monster, recharged for another massive strike. They were just about 5 feet away when the unexpected happened.

The monster spontaneously lit on fire. _All by itself_.

"What the hell is that?" Jinx yelled, back flipping away from the inferno. "It just… caught!"

"Does that mean we win?" Flash asked, peering at it. There was a few seconds silence, and then the creature began to move again.

"No, it's fireproof! This is a defense mechanism! Douse it!" Robin ordered.

"With what? We're in the desert!" Bumblebee protested.

"I don't know! Think of something!" Robin replied frantically. He was then forced to dive away as the beast let loose another sonic blast.

"I know that Robin's already said this, but… this is bad," Jinx muttered. Flash snorted and lowered into a fighting stance.

"Yeah… no kidding."

(…)

Cyborg groaned as he got up off the ground again. He hated to admit it, but Blood did have a slight point. In a completely normal standoff between the two, Blood would always have the upper hand. The only time Cyborg had won… what had happened there was really a singular event. He doubted if it would ever happen again.

Which left him stuck facing down with his least favorite psychopath. Again. And alone.

_Curse my stupid ego… why on earth did I think I could just take this guy alone and that it would be easy? It was NEVER easy!_

He was quite literally slammed out of his thoughts by Blood's fist connecting with his jaw, twisting him completely around. Blood grabbed his shoulders to keep him from falling over.

"Please Cyborg, this is almost easier than before! You have yet to score a hit! The only time I've ended up on the ground wasn't even your fault!"

Cyborg grit his teeth and grabbed Blood's head between his hands, spinning on his heel and throwing him like a discus. Blood toppled through the air and collapsed on the ground, eyes rolling.

"Get used to being down there, you crack pot!" Cyborg shouted, currently in the stage that most would define as 'royally pissed'. "That's where you'll stay!"

Blood leapt to his feet and spat dirt out of his mouth, eyes blazing. He was about to yell a retort when Cyborg was suddenly in front of him, metal fist crashing into his nose. There was a disgusting snap and Blood was on the ground again, face covered in… well… blood.

"Insolent…" he muttered under his breath, but then Cyborg's knee was buried into his abdomen, knocking every last ounce of air out of his synthetic lungs. His vision went fuzzy, and as he tried to orient himself his opponent flipped him into the air like a soccer ball and delivered a fantastic kick, sending him straight into a cliff.

Blood moaned and fell to the sand, head spinning.

"I'm not done yet, Blood! Just you wait!"

"Enough!" Blood snapped, spitting into the dirt and activating his energy daggers, making his fists come alive with red energy, forming a blade shape off of each arm. Cyborg was intercepted in mid punch, one of Blood's hands stabbing right through his fist while the other made a hole in his stomach. Cyborg fell, gasping, and Blood stood over him.

"Yes, you are done, Cyborg," he snarled, face contorted into a merciless scowl. "You are finished."

(…)

The monster screamed numerous times, each aimed at a likely hiding spot. Its targets were instantly blasted to dust and lit on fire, sending the Titans scrambling.

"What can we do?" Starfire asked, flinching as the creature attacked yet again. "Even if we get past the sound blasts, there's the fire to think of."

"Man, we really need Raven," Flash said. "Beast Boy, is she- "

"Still no!" Beast Boy interrupted. "I don't understand, she should have woken up by now!"

"Unfortunately, that's not our primary concern right now," Robin said grimly. "We need a way to bring down this… thing."

"If only we could get close!" Bumblebee growled, slamming her fist onto the ground in frustration. "Those sound waves are just too fast!"

"Too fast… too fast!" Robin suddenly said. "Wally, how fast can you run?"

Flash smiled, getting the idea. "Pretty damn fast."

Robin looked back at the inferno, gauging the distances. "That might just work…"

"What might?" Jinx asked.

"Alright, Kori, grab onto Wally's arms. Wally, I want you to start running in place as fast as you can. Say so when you think you're moving fast enough. Kori, when he gives the signal, I want you to let go of him."

Starfire and Flash got into the appropriate position. On Robin's mark Flash began to pump his feet, and soon they were just a vague blur.

"Ah… are we almost there?" Starfire winced, struggling to maintain her hold on the speedster.

"Wait…" Robin instructed her, watching Flash intently. He was almost impossible to see, just a vibrating shape.

Finally there was a snapping motion from Flash's arm.

"Now, Kori, let go!"

Starfire let go.

In a burst of dust, Flash _disappeared_, and a hollow bang echoed back and forth across the rock walls.

"Is he running… actually faster than…?" Jinx gasped, amazed.

"Uh-huh," Robin nodded, smiling. "He's moving faster than the speed of sound."

With the sound of a jet fighter Flash exploded across the terrain, sending a plume of sand and rock flying up behind him. He rushed right between the monster's legs and kicked at its underbelly, sending the entire flaming mass straight up into the air. Flash's blurred shape was then in the sky, smashing the creature back and forth. The beast roared and tried to find its attacker, but couldn't keep up.

"YES!" Robin shouted, and the rest of the group cheered as well. "Alright, Titans, let's move in!"

(…)

Blood plunged his electrical dagger right towards his opponent's skull, and Cyborg barely managed to roll out of the way. The video feed from his false eye was beginning to flicker on and off, and the hole in his stomach was leaking blood and oil, snapping with static. He only managed to crawl a few feet before collapsing.

_C'mon, Cyborg, get it together!_ He thought angrily to himself. _You can't let Blood win and move on to attack the others! Their hands are already full enough with that beast!_

Ignoring the deteriorating conditions the graphs in his mind's eye were screaming at him, he rose shakily to his feet and smiled grimly.

"Looks like I'm not quite finished yet, am I?" he laughed bitterly. "You're still standing."

"Please," Blood huffed. "You're barely on your feet! I'll bet that if I walk up and blow on you you'll fall to pieces."

"Far from it, Blood, I still have a few tricks. I've had years with nothing to do, you think I'd just sit there?"

Taking a deep breath and charging up his power core, Cyborg activated his regeneration program.

Blood's jaw dropped and Cyborg grinned as macroscopic arms within his body extended and began to patch up the holes. The wound in his hand was gone almost immediately, and the one in his stomach and then the one in his chest followed. One quick system refresh later, and Cyborg looked as if he had just went to the body shop.

"Impressed?" he asked. Blood fumed.

"That won't help you!" he spat. "Remember, I'm undamaged too!"

"Aside from your nose?" Cyborg taunted.

Blood screamed and rushed at him.

(…)

The Titans quickly followed in Flash's wake, shooting whatever they had at whatever was open. The beast roared in agony and attempted to blast them away with another scream, but a kick to the face by Flash sent its jaw shut.

"Uh oh… the soldiers are thinking about fighting now…" Bumblebee said as a shot casing pinged off the monster's flank beside her head. Robin turned to see that the soldiers nearest them had their guns up, trying to lock on with their scopes.

"Crap…" he muttered. "Flash, can you handle them?"

There was no response.

"Wally? Why is he still running?"

Suddenly Robin's communicator rang. He picked it up to find Flash's panicked face on the screen.

"Wally! What's wrong?" Robin asked.

"Everything!" Flash panted. "I'm moving too fast, I can't stop!"

"What?"

"There's not enough room here for me to slow down! I know that if I try to, I'll go flying! And if I'm moving at these speeds, flying could get me seriously hurt."

"Oh no…" Robin muttered. "Don't worry, Wally, we'll handle that eventually. As of right now, can you handle the soldiers?"

"No prob." The speedster's cocky grin was back. "Take all the time you need, guys. Since I'm faster than sound, I can't hear anything, but I'll help out where I can."

"Thanks, Wally, and sorry," Robin said, dodging a flailing motion from the monster as he did so. "Good luck!"

"You too."

(…)

Cyborg and Blood traded blows, blocking with their metal forearms and attacking with their fists and knees. Blood's daggers were still on, and Cyborg had his cannon activated, shooting out a burst of sound whenever he made contact with Blood's thin frame.

"How…?" Blood panted. "You're on a stalemate with me… in close quarter combat!"

"System refresh," Cyborg grinned, smacking Blood's jab away from his face. "I'm running like new."

Blood paused. "System refresh… you can do that?"

Cyborg took advantage of this moment to shoot right into Blood's chest, sending him soaring. After flailing through the air about 13 feet he landed on his shoulders and rolled roughly into a boulder, causing him to cry out in pain.

"You can't," Cyborg explained, following him. "I can. System refresh was completely my idea."

Blood spat at Cyborg's feet and growled.

"Aw…" Cyborg laughed, crouching down so they could be at eye level. "Are you all out of aces?"

"No…" Blood said darkly, and the smile on his face caused Cyborg to back up uneasily. "I still have an ace left… the best card in the deck, in my opinion."

He opened a storage compartment in his chest and pulled out a sleek, black and gold device. A device so familiar to Cyborg, and one that he had hoped he would never see again.

"How…?" he breathed, backing up even more. "We had that locked away! Is that really…?"

Brother Blood nodded and laughed.

"It most certainly is, Cyborg. This is the Ion Amplifier."

(…)

Despite the brief promise of victory that had been hinted at by Flash's burst of speed, the Titans were clearly losing. Robin knew this, and the rest of them were starting to realize it too.

"WHAT?"

Robin winced as he told Jinx of Flash's problem. He had thought she would have taken it badly.

"Dangit," Bee snapped, clenching her fists around her stingers. "At the rate we're going we're not going to last a whole lot longer. I'm not even sure if we've even delivered any damage."

"Garfield," Robin called over. The changeling was where he had been for most of the fight, hunched protectively over Raven's limp form. "We need your help!"

"I can't!" Beast Boy called back. "I can't leave Raven! What if she gets hit?"

Robin cursed, Beast Boy had a point. Protecting Raven was their mission.

He absentmindedly felt at his belt, taking unconscious inventory of how many weapons he had left. The number was depressingly low; he didn't think he had enough bird-a-rangs to make a single saber.

There was another of the monster's screams, and Starfire fell at his feet with a yelp. He helped her back up while staring at the creature.

"How can we beat it?" he whispered. "Its defenses are incredible!"

"I don't know," Starfire replied, apparently overhearing him. "Our ability to defeat it is questionable, but we cannot choose surrender."

Robin and Beast Boy nodded grimly in agreement. There would be no surrender.

"Richard," Jinx said as she ran up, throwing rocks out of the ground at the monster as she did. "I'm expecting we're at the point of desperate measures by now, right?"

"Far past it," Robin said. "Do you have a plan?"

Jinx smiled sadly and pulled something from her pocket. Everyone gasped when they saw that, clutched in her pale hand, was an old HIVE communicator.

"I knew that keeping this would come in handy," she muttered. She then flicked a button on the side with her thumb, and the screen began to flash with red letters spelling the message:

PLEASE ASSIST.

Robin shrugged. "It can't make things worse."

"Don't say that, Richard," Beast Boy said softly. "You know things can always get worse."

**And that was only part 1!**

**Im not going to set any review number, but I would appreciate one from every single one of you! They all mean so much to me, and they all have helped me improve my writing so much! You people are awesome!**

**I'll try and post as soon as I can! Stay with me here, we'll make it through this (lol)!**

**See ya soon enuff…**


	9. Ambush Pt II

**And now I would like to present to you Chapter 9 in all its glory. It's so… beautiful…**

**No seriously, people, I'm very proud of this chapter, here. It's the best fight scene I've ever written in my entire life, and it's also the longest. The longest chapter, period. Without these annotations, it's just over 7000 words. Very nice. This also makes the combined battle of Ambush pts I and II more words than the first story I ever posted on Fanfiction, Apocalypse. I'll let that sink in. **_**More words than an entire story… in one fight.**_

**Needless to say I'm rather thrilled about this, but I'll let you decide what you think about it. Before I turn you loose, however, I need to answer reviews. I suppose I don't **_**need **_**to, per say, but I would very much like to.**

To FelynxTiger- **Thank you very much! I take great pride in my fight scenes, and I hope my skills in writing them have improved even more with this next installment!**

To Guardian of Night- **Thank you! The word "Epic" is always good to hear.**

To wolfenstein- **Thanks, I had a lot of fun writing them in, when they finally show up. Hope you don't mind Mammoth having a larger role than he normally does.**

To Stella de Oro- **I agree completely! And one of your favorites? Wow, I'm flattered… and honored!**

To Linzerj- **Thank you! I hope it gets more awesome after you read this chapter!**

To YourMoosyFate- **Oh, that? That's easy, it's because…um…**

**Well…**

**I dunno XD. I never noticed that. Let's just pretend it makes sense and move on with our lives. Thanks for pointing it out, though, it's good to see that people are paying that much attention to what I write.**

To black thorn angel- **Thank you! And don't worry, there is no chance I'm abandoning this.**

To Gingerstorm101- **That is a good idea, but not this time. And I'm not sure where I came up with the monster… although in my mind it looks suspiciously like Johnny Rancid's dog Rex in the episode "Can I keep Him?"… hm…**

To longliveteentitans- **thanks.**

To Mortal Guardian- **Thank you for saying so! I'm rather proud of how that turned out.**

To TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne- **thank you so much for reviewing! They've all been really helpful. And that is a good idea… I had to go in and make a reason why they couldn't after you mentioned it, it's that good. Kudos to you!**

**I would like to take this opportunity to send out a general, but heartfelt, thank you. I'm sure you all know by now that I have an unhealthy obsession with reviews, and this last chapter got more than I ever have before. You guys are awesome! Keep it up!**

**So without further ado, I proudly present: Ambush Part II**

**Enjoy…**

There were noises. Quiet ones, but still noticeable: the sound of the rough soles of combat boots against rocks and the clicking of weapons. The occasional staccato burst of gunfire would cut through often, but it was muted. She couldn't see anything but darkness around her.

Suddenly, there was a roar, a scream, a tormented, evil sound. The sound waves bounced and warped within her ears, causing a strange vibrating effect, like a cell phone going off. Well, aside from the fact that the mere presence of the sound, even muted, was painful, and the insane rage behind it was blatantly obvious.

_Where am I? _Raven wondered. _Am I having another dream?_

She didn't think so. It was too featureless, save for the battlefield symphony in the background. She must be in some other form of unconsciousness.

_Maybe I put myself in a trance,_ she realized. _That's happened before._

But those were thoughts to ponder later. At the moment, what caught and held her attention was the strange noises from far away. What was making them?

It didn't take her long to come to a conclusion. _My friends must be fighting again. There must be some army that caught up with us… I hope they get out alright._

"Raven?"

The name was fuzzy and hard to decipher, but to its owner it was clear enough. The speaker was also, despite the sensor, able to be recognized.

"Garfield?" she called out. Her voice faded away and then echoed back, brought down several octaves by the trip. There was no sign that anyone, or anything, had heard her.

"Garfield?" she tried again. She glanced around, squinting into the darkness, and managed to catch a glimpse of Beast Boy's face. It had appeared and disappeared so quickly that she wasn't even sure if she had really seen it, or imagined it. His face had been etched with worry, and his eyes wide with concern.

"Garfield, I'm here, I'm alright!" she called out, distressed now. She hated seeing him look so sad.

"Ti—ns! -tta-k!" called out another voice, chopped up and muffled like a scratched CD.

"Robin?" Raven asked. There was the sound of an explosion and a feminine scream, then silence.

_How on earth do I wake up?_ Raven wondered impatiently, pacing the floor. She didn't even have to try to meditate to know she couldn't, her mind was too ill at ease. And there was the problem she had encountered last time to factor in. The strange absence of Nevermore, and the visions.

There was another painful shriek, and the sound of flying rocks and shrapnel followed.

"Sh-! F-al- - b-a—k!" came Robin's voice. "Fa-l –ac-k!"

"Shit shit shit! " Raven stomped the ground angrily with each word, anxiety building. What if they died? She ran her hands through her short violet locks and began to pace again. Hitches of irrational fear would occasionally bubble up, causing her pendant to pulse and vibrate. The almost constant glow illuminated the space, but there was nothing to see.

(…)

Cyborg ran. He wasn't ashamed to say so; he was terrified of the lethal little machine now fastened to Brother Blood's forearm. He himself had seen, and manipulated, the power behind it. And now it was being used against him.

Blood cackled as Cyborg leapt behind a boulder and readied his cannon. "Scared, boy?" he sneered, stroking the black metal of the Ion Amplifier with his free hand. "That's wise."

Cyborg swallowed, then leapt out from his hiding place, firing multiple sonic blasts at Blood. The villain merely yawned and deflected the shots with his hand, sending them into the dusty ground.

"You'll have to do better than that, Cyborg!" he laughed, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Here's an example!"

At the end of these words he leveled his palm at Cyborg and flexed his fingers. An enormous burst of red energy exploded into being and rushed at the metal man, who only barely managed to jump out of the way. It soared past, warping the very air, and crashed into the cliff face, sending large chunks of rock falling to the ground. The percussive feedback was amazing, and left both men temporarily deaf.

"Hahaha!" Blood laughed, eyes bugging out of his head. "This is power! This is more power than you will ever have! The power that will end your meddlesome life!"

More energy bursts snapped into existence and rushed across the landscape, sending Cyborg rolling and jumping in some sort of bizarre dance. Blood began to perform kicks and punches in place, the Amplifier projecting the movements outwards as huge swaths of fire and light. The massive shock waves from each impact would send Cyborg face first into the stone and scrambling to his feet before he was hit again. He didn't even have a window to strike back.

"Run, Cyborg, run! Run from your superior!" Blood screamed, veins popping out of his neck. "This is the end of you!"

(…)

Robin grit his teeth as he took the brunt of another of the monster's powerful shrieks. His ears were ringing almost constantly now, and his arms, legs, and chest were covered in bruises. Starfire and Bumblebee were also heavily damaged, Flash was still stuck going at the speed of sound, and Jinx was beginning to feel faint from overuse of her powers. Beast Boy was still hunched protectively over Raven's prone form.

"Jenny!" Robin shouted as the blur of the Flash knocked back yet another row of soldiers. Jinx stumbled back and looked over, trying hard to keep her balance.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any idea who's coming, and when?"

Jinx shook her head, then tripped. A vibrating shape of a man flickered by long enough to nudge her back on her feet, then disappeared.

"You'd better take it easy, Jen, you're gonna pass out any second now," Robin advised her. She laughed.

"It's a battlefield, Richard, there is no 'taking it easy'."

Robin was about to reply when Bumblebee crashed to the ground between them, blood running from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it away with an arm covered in burns, and flew back into battle. Robin couldn't help but notice that there was a chunk missing out of one of her wings. A burst of heat and a scream sent Starfire tumbling through the air above them, clothing ripped and eyes glowing a livid green.

"Gokrarn Malchoi Dren Ralkordamix!" she screamed, reverting to some Tamaranean battle cry, and flew back at the flaming beast, starbolt at hand. She managed to get in a few powerful hits before a well-aimed scream sent her out of the sky again.

Suddenly Cyborg flew overhead and crashed into the cliff, sliding to the ground in a sparking heap.

"Hey, Rob, how's it goin'?" he asked.

"Oh, y'know… getting our butts kicked by a flaming mutant monster. You?"

"Fighting off a psychopath while dodging shots from one of the world's most powerful weapons."

"Hm… that sounds like fun," Robin said, nodding.

"It is," Cyborg agreed. "Is Rae awake?"

"No," Beast Boy reported sadly. Cyborg looked like he was about to say more when Brother Blood walked up, picked him up by his chin, and threw him back to their area of the battlefield.

"Stop talking while the teacher is giving a demonstration!" he shouted, then ran after his opponent.

(…)

"Victor?" Raven called out into the darkness. She could have sworn she had heard his voice…

Giving up, she sat down on the dark ground and sighed heavily. She was going to be stuck here forever! The only promising change was that the background had changed from pitch black to dark gray, and the noises had gotten sharper and louder. At the rate things were improving, though, she doubted she would awake in time to be of any help. She might even be killed beforehand. Shuddering, she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her aching head upon them.

"This is hopeless," she muttered, gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. "We're never going to get out of this, and me and all my friends are going to die for a pointless cause." A single tear slid down her nose. "Emily is never going to see the light of day."

At the mention of the name "Emily" the world exploded. Rushing colors rippled across a now white sky while multiple pictures and audio clips flickered from one to the other so quickly they blended into each other. Rushing cyclone winds blasted across the space, their immense power slowly lifting Raven right off the ground.

"What's going on?" she yelled into the chaos. Her voice, instead of fading away, grew stronger and added to the cacophony of whispered messages around her. There was a bright flash, and she saw the familiar aura of Emily. It was floating in a dark space in the spinning environment, blinding white, with a soft green outline. But then, to more flashes, the outline and the white began to separate, now green and white, not together. Separate, but not. It flickered back together, then split again. Two ovals, two different colors, but similar…

"What is this?" Raven gasped, feeling the air being drawn from her lungs. "What's happening?"

The sounds only grew louder.

(…)

Beast Boy stared at Raven, concern obvious on his face. Her eyes were dancing beneath her lids, and she was breathing quick and shallow. She would occasionally jump and twitch, and he could smell the fear in her. Whatever she was seeing inside her mind, she certainly didn't like it.

"Wake up, Raven!" he whispered to her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her lightly. She merely tensed up and began to shudder violently, eyes rolling. Beast Boy choked a sob down at the back of his throat and hugged her tightly, rubbing her back and trying to keep the tears out of his eyes. He was failing.

Robin skidded across the ground beside him, and Beast Boy called out to him.

"What?" Robin asked, keeping his attention on the monster that was still delivering more damage than it was receiving. He winced as Starfire was hit with one of the sonic screams and fell to the dirt.

"It's Raven… there's something wrong with her!" Beast Boy said, trying desperately to keep the panic out of his voice.

"Is she still not waking up?" Robin asked, trying to be patient. He understood Beast Boy's position, but of course something was wrong with Raven! She was out cold!

"No, something's really wrong, Richard!" Beast Boy snapped, realizing Robin's train of thought. "She's having some kind of seizure!"

"What?" Robin asked, turning his head. "She's having a… oh my god!"

"See?" Beast Boy asked, grasping his wife's shoulders as Robin ran over and knelt down beside her. Biting his split lip, he checked her pulse, her breathing rate, and her temperature using a small circular device that he pulled from his belt. He then whipped a miniature flashlight out of nowhere and shined it into her eyes, which dilated like normal.

"I have no idea what this is, Garfield," he admitted, sitting back. "Whatever's happening is something beyond a condition."

"Meaning?"

"This is something to do with her powers, not any earthly afflictions. There's no cure for… this."

Beast Boy swallowed. He wasn't sure if that was promising news or not.

Robin laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Keep her safe, Garfield. This will all be over soon."

With that, he stood up, drew his bow staff from his belt, and ran back into the fray.

(…)

VISUAL FEED REESTABLISHED

SYSTEM USAGE: 83%

DAMAGE TAKEN: 67%

POWER CELL CONDITION: FAIR

REBOOT…

…

Cyborg opened his eyes to find himself being held off the ground by one of Brother Blood's fingers, which was stabbed into his chest.

"EXTERIOR OBJECT IDENTIFIED," a little voice buzzed in his ear, and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, good, I'd thought you had died," Blood said. "That would have been too easy!"

With a twisting, spinning motion the villain threw Cyborg into the air, a position from which he tumbled helplessly back down, where he was kicked aside. Before he could even hit the ground again Blood was somehow in front of him, kicking him back. And then again. And again. Like an enormous, bionic soccer ball.

"Dude! –ow- cut it –ow- out! –shit, that hurt- let me –damn- at least –ow- fight!" Cyborg tried to say as he was being kicked. Blood apparently understood the garbled message, and laughed.

"You want me to give you some breathing room?" he asked incredulously, not even slowing up in his furious onslaught. "Fine! This should be funny! I'll give you 30 seconds."

Blood suddenly was standing a ways off, arms folded behind his back in a very relaxed sort of way. Cyborg looked up from his position on the ground and raised an eyebrow.

"In 25 more seconds I'll start attacking again," Blood reminded him, smiling hugely.

Cyborg leapt to his feet and charged up both of his cannons. With a savage battle cry he let loose a devastating barrage of sonic blasts, causing Blood to completely disappear in a cloud of dust and flames. Through the sonic onslaught Cyborg could still hear the madman's voice, counting down.

"Twenty… nineteen… eighteen… seventeen… sixteen…"

The sarcastic edge to the man's voice drove Cyborg into a blind rage, sending his cannons shooting faster and faster and rockets soaring out of his shoulders. They all arced together and detonated in a fiery mass, pluming up into the darkening sky, brushing the cliffs and setting the sparse vegetation that was present alight.

"Eight… seven… six… five…"

A small display popped up in the corner of Cyborg's vision, saying ROCKETS DEPLETED. He paid it little mind, and kept firing.

"Three… two…"

POWER CELL OVERSTRAINED; LIMITING POWER TO DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS.

Cyborg's firepower lessened, and despite many desperate gesticulations, his sonic blasts were reduced to something better described as a large flashlight beam. The carnage around Blood began to thin.

"One… my turn again!"

The smoke explosively blew to the sides to make way for a flying figure rushing across the ground, barely touching the sand at all, headed straight for Cyborg. The metal man barely had time to shout before a flat palm was forced into his chest, sending him straight backwards _through_ a boulder and tumbling across the rocks leading up to the ocean. Blood paused to savor his opponent's screams, then took up pursuit.

(…)

Jinx knew she was being hit by another scream, but she couldn't hear it. Not anymore.

"Damn," she muttered, picking herself up again. Her arms were covered in burns and bruises, and head injuries were forcing one of her eyes closed. She had used her powers more in the past hour than she ever had in her entire life, and she was certainly paying for it. She could barely keep her balance, and she felt like she was going to pass out right on the battlefield any second.

Which, under these circumstances, would be fatal.

"Where are they?" she wondered aloud, staring past the towering form of the monster at the sun, which was just kissing the horizon. "They should be here by now…"

The flaming creature turned around and stood over her, mouth slowly opening to reveal the glowing lights within. A blurred form came out of nowhere and tried to knock the beast away, but the strength in its enormous, half-metal neck and shoulders was too much. Jinx could find no energy in her body, and sunk to her knees, staring into the glowing maw of the disturbing creation the United States government had sent after them.

_This is it…_ she realized. _This is when it all ends… I'm so sorry, Wally. I'm sorry Raven… Garfield…_

She looked to the sun again, for probably the last time. There was a spot in the middle, getting bigger, blotting out the light as it soared closer, getting more defined. She could identify arms, legs, long, flowing hair…

Jinx could only stare in disbelief as Mammoth fell from the sky and slammed into the beast above her, driving it completely off its feet and into the rocky beach.

"Snot brain… you could've gotten killed," came a familiar voice from behind her. She was being lifted up in metal claws and carried away from the battle, floating over the ground as the edges of her vision faded from black to white in a pulsing pattern. She was laid to rest beside Raven and Beast Boy on a bed of sand, and she managed to roll over to see her savior.

"Thank you, Gizmo."

The tall, lanky man shrugged and snorted through his small nose. "No biggie. Would've been crappy if you'd kicked the can. Stupid."

"You're more stupid," Jinx retorted, smiling softly.

Gizmo shrugged again and laughed, which was the same nasally, annoying sound it always was. "Yeah, I'm standing here talking to you. Take it easy, booger-brain, and leave everything to us."

Jinx laughed, a tiny, weak sound, then finally passed out.

(…)

Cyborg rose to his hands and knees coughing, trying to rid his lungs of the saltwater that was swirling around him. A wave crept up behind him and crashed into his back, forcing him down again. Water swirled in the chinks in his armor and leaked out in little streams, dribbling onto the stony sand.

There was an echoing snap in the distance, and a white hot stab of pain sent the metal man rolling further backwards into the surf. More snaps followed, sending him sideways and up and under all in rapid succession. Still trying to orient himself, Cyborg could only hear, but not see, Blood saying,

"Enough toying around now! Time to finish you!"

"Shit," Cyborg managed to mutter before a powerful blast of energy sent him flying through the sky out to open sea. He hit the water hard, sending up a huge splash, and sunk like a rock.

BUOYANCY COMPROMISED: MULTIPLE EXTERIOR LEAKS. Cyborg's sensors told him. By studying the bubbles streaming out of him he managed to figure out where up was, and began kicking in that direction. Murky green gave way to sunset orange, and he breathed in deeply.

Hearing footsteps he turned, and saw Blood walking calmly across the surface of the ocean towards him. He tried to swim away, but his now waterlogged synthetic muscles were slow to react, and left him only treading water. Blood stood over him, grinning evilly, then raised both fists above his head and brought them down onto Cyborg's skull, sending him shooting downwards under the surface and an enormous plume of water flying into the sky. Blood couldn't contain his happiness and laughed out loud, screaming his joy to the setting sun as seawater sprinkled down onto his face. Knowing the government's monster's stamina, and the amount of soldiers he had brought, the Titans would soon be finished, and Cyborg would be quick to follow.

He would make certain of that.

(…)

Beast Boy shifted his position to shield Jinx from any attacks as well as Raven and stared up at Gizmo in awe.

"You… you're… tall now…" he said, scarcely believing it. It was true, though, the man before him was reasonably over 6', even though his equipment, outfit, and expression matched the small boy they had fought way back when. Gizmo snorted and folded his arms.

"Well, yeah, stupid, did you think I would've stayed a shorty forever?"

"Sort of, but that's not the point. How many are you?"

"Only me and Mammoth, unfortunately," Gizmo reported. "Everyone else is either still frozen or waaaaay too far away. Or dead."

"Hm… you think you can beat this thing?" Beast Boy asked, raising an eyebrow and jerking a thumb at the raging monster that Mammoth had managed to get into a headlock of sorts, despite the fire.

"Yeah, stupid, I'll just need to run a quick diagnostic," the genius replied, deploying a small computer screen from the machine strapped to his back and flexing his fingers. "Details?"

"Um… it's really strong… half robot, half animal…" Beast Boy said, counting off on his fingers. "It has these sonic screams it uses that cause a lot of damage, and that fire is a defense mechanism."

Gizmo nodded as he typed in the information. "Mm-hm… alright, I think I got it. Thanks, stupid," he said as rockets extended from out of nowhere and sent him shooting into the sky.

"Mammoth!" he shouted as he flew overhead. "Execute plan Omega, alterations as needed!"

"Got it," Mammoth shouted, nodding his enormous head, then went back to punching the beast. Gizmo was about to join him when he noticed a familiar figure standing on the surface of the ocean a ways away. Another familiar figure was struggling to swim away from the first, but failing.

Mischievous grin twisting its way onto his lips, Gizmo steered himself into a nose dive.

(…)

Cyborg broke the surface with a gasp, but found himself quickly sinking again. He could hear water sloshing around inside of his body, sending random sparks shooting out of him and crackling across the surface of the water. Blood reared back and kicked him in the chin, the Amplifier creating a swath of red thunder that forced him even farther, bouncing along like a skipping stone. With another huge splash he hit the surface and was seemingly sucked right under. He came up coughing once again to see Blood running at him, footsteps sending little waves sloshing out around him.

Cyborg grit his teeth in preparation for another kick, but then he caught sight of the horizon, and slowly his lips twisted into a grim smile. Blood noticed, and with a suspicious look on his face he twisted as he ran to stare in the same direction. He was halfway around when he saw. Blood screamed. Cyborg laughed. Gizmo shot out of nowhere and tackled the mind reader around the waist, sending both of them straight into the ocean with the force of cannon.

"You fartlicker… why am I helping you?" Gizmo wondered out loud, flipping off Blood's back and stabilizing himself above the waves with his rockets while his victim, apparently stunned, fell in.

"Because you love my fabulous personality," Cyborg joked, still treading water. "Lemme guess… Jinx called you over?"

"Well, whattaya know? The tin man has a brain," Gizmo snorted. Blood was floundering in the surf, bearings lost, and Gizmo kicked him in the head a few times.

"So you here to help me beat this guy?" Cyborg asked, voice becoming slightly more serious.

"I would love to, but I gotta screw that thing over there first," Gizmo explained, pointing over his shoulder at the monster. "I can, however, give you some gear."

"Gear?"

"Yeah… here's some basic antigravs so you won't keep sinking…" Gizmo muttered, digging around in his backpack and tossing some small devices at Cyborg, who managed to catch them. "Those go on your feet. And here's…" he reached extra-deep, tongue sticking out, "a system recharger."

He tossed a small cube over, and Cyborg snatched it up before it sank.

"Thanks, Giz… I appreciate it."

"Snot brain… don't mention it. Please… I still don't like you."

He was smiling as he said this.

"Throw in a punch for me!" Cyborg called as Gizmo flew back to the battlefield. He then preoccupied himself with strapping the antigravs to his feet before Blood remembered how to swim.

(…)

Beast Boy's ears twitched, and he turned to see Robin sliding in beside him like he was heading for home plate, face and hair drenched in sweat and clothes torn. A long, thin cut ran along his cheekbone, and little beads of blood were leaking out of it and running down his chin.

"What's up, Dick?" the changeling asked, shifting his position slightly to keep his legs from freezing up.

"Garfield, has anyone made a move at Raven yet?"

"…No, actually…" Beast Boy realized. All of the soldiers and the monster itself had been so caught up in the Titan's efforts that his isolated corner of the battlefield, sheltered under a large out-jutting slab of rock, was relatively untouched.

"Listen… as soon as you see an opening, I want you to take it," Robin ordered him, eyes stern.

"An opening? What do you mean?"

"Even with Mammoth and Gizmo's help, this battle is going to be close, and costly. You need to take Raven, and Jinx if you can, and get out of here. We'll stay behind to cover you."

"Robin, I'm not leaving without you," Beast Boy said firmly. "There's no way that I'll ever do that, and I know that you know for a fact that Raven wouldn't want to, either."

"I'm sorry, Garfield, but that's not really an option. I appreciate the gesture, but we're running out of time!"

"Robin…"

"Beast Boy, that's an order!" Robin snapped, fist clenching. He stopped, took a deep breath, and continued, calmer now. "Please… just do this."

Beast Boy hung his head in resignation. Robin sighed.

"I'm sorry, but this is the way it goes. Look for a gap in their defenses, and then bust through. Don't wait up for us. If we make it out of this, we'll find you."

"Don't say 'if', dude. We'll pull through."

"Just go when you can," Robin reminded him, and stood up to get back to the fight. As the former Boy Wonder extended his bow staff and jogged away, Beast Boy noticed that the man had never agreed to the last thing he had said.

Robin wasn't expecting to get out of this.

(…)

"GIZMO!" Mammoth yelled as he held the flaming monster back with his fists.

"What?" the hack whined loudly, soaring up beside him on his small rocket pack. "What do you want?"

"Does it look like I'm having fun, punching a bonfire by myself?" the giant growled. "Douse 'im!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Gizmo muttered, waving a gloved hand, and whipped out a modified Xbox Controller. A few joystick toggles and button flicks later, a large nozzle extended out of his pack and locked onto the monster, following its wild movements with small twitches from its robotic neck. Gizmo slammed down on the A button with gusto, and a spray of chemical foam washed out, dusting the government's beast with a white spray that hissed when it came in contact with the fire. A few moments passed, and the flames were dead.

"Ha! Stupid monster!" Gizmo laughed. "Eat my- AAAAHH!"

He was interrupted by a sonic scream from the monster's mouth, sending both him and Mammoth diving out of the way to avoid being hit. More short screams followed, pulverizing the stone into gravel. Mammoth ducked behind a rock, and jumped when he found Bumblebee hiding in the same spot.

"Bee…" he said. "Whatcha been up to?"

"Oh, y'know…" Bumblebee said, avoiding his eyes. "Quitting Blood's operation waaaaaay before you… freezing your butt in Paris… that sort of thing."

Her stingers began to glow, and her wings stirred in agitation.

"Hey, I'm on your side, here," Mammoth said, taken aback, and he started shaking his head and raising his massive hands in surrender. "It's what I was dealt, back then. Things are different now. I'm helping now, aren't I?"

"That's only because Jinx called."

"Jinx betrayed all of us," Mammoth reminded her, raising an eyebrow. Another sonic scream slammed into the boulder they were using as cover, and they winced at the impact. "Gizmo and I were never forced to help. We really should have just ignored her distress signal."

Bumblebee was silent.

"Do you honestly think, with Blood _right there_," he pointed over towards the ocean at the man in question, "That I would be helping if I were still his lackey?"

The end of this statement was the immediate prelude to a screaming battle cry echoing from Mammoth's lips, and he leapt over their cover and rushed back into the fight, leaving Bumblebee shocked and confused.

_Since when could Mammoth talk like that?_

(…)

Blood rose from the waves, spitting sea water out of his mouth in an agitated sort of way, to find Cyborg standing up on the ocean in front of him, hands on his hips and a smug grin on his face.

"You!" Blood snarled. "How did you…"

"I met an old friend,' Cyborg said, shrugging. "Now I'm recharged and ready to go."

"Old friend… Gizmo…" Blood hissed, nostrils flaring. "But it doesn't matter. System refresh, system recharge, it's all the same, Cyborg, and none of it will help you!"

The Ion Amplifier buzzed red, and Blood brought his clenched fist back then forward, aimed right for his opponent's face. But, faster than he could track, Cyborg's arm was rising as well, cannon extending with a small puff of compressed air, and the glowing end met his own head on. As if in slow motion, the combined energies sparked, and an explosion bubbled out, pushing both of them up and back. Cyborg was sent skidding on his heels across the waves, and as Blood spiraled through the sky, plunging headfirst towards the rocks, all he could think was one thing:

_What was that?_

Instinct and robotic safety systems kicked in, and Blood managed to flip over and land on his feet, rather than his head. Bracing himself against the rocks with his leg, he looked up to see Cyborg sprinting towards him, feet splashing across the surf and cannon buzzing with twisting blue tendrils of light, flooding out behind him like wisps of smoke. He leapt into the air, screaming, and crashed down upon his foe, crumbling the rocks and sending a spray of foam up into the twilight sky. Blood skirted underneath the blow by mere inches and flipped backwards onto the beach, but Cyborg tailed him expertly, following with a punch that reached its maximum range so close to his thin nose that he could feel the wind it created.

_What is this? _Blood thought desperately. _What happened? He's… better…_

A sonic cannon shot interrupted his thoughts, slamming into his chest. The impact was more powerful than before, and as the air was blasted from his lungs, he could swear he could feel the casing on his armor snap. The world spun, and he was lying on his back, chest burning like he had been hit with grenade launcher at point blank. He coughed, and blood bubbled out of his throat and leaked between his lips. Cyborg appeared out of nowhere and punched him in the stomach, sending even more blood flooding up and out, choking him. Another punch went into his chin, and if it weren't for his metal components he was sure his neck would have snapped. He lashed out blindly with his Amplifier arm, and a yell and a thud revealed that he had managed to knock Cyborg back.

"What are you, Cyborg?" Blood coughed, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "This isn't natural! I know your systems, this isn't possible for you!"

Cyborg rolled over and began to get to his feet, dusting the sand off of his knees.

"And I have the Amplifier!" Blood persisted, also getting to his feet, but wincing as he moved his chest. "You cannot keep up with me! The Amplifier makes me invincible!"

Cyborg rolled his eyes, and in the blink of an eye was right in Blood's face, elbow stabbing into his solar plexus. The red metal groaned, then ruptured, sending Cyborg's arm even deeper, causing Blood to gasp and choke.

"It's not the weapon that makes the warrior, Blood," Cyborg said, wrenching his arm out and pushing his opponent back. "You should have learned that by now! You got new henchmen and I beat you. You got my tech and I beat you. And now you have the Amplifier, and I'm still going to beat you."

"You stupid-" Blood began, holding the hole in his chest and wheezing, but Cyborg cut him off.

"No matter how much technology you hide behind it's always obvious who's the weaker man here," Cyborg said, following after Blood as he unconsciously backed up, tripping on the smallest of rocks. "You're weak, and you know it. You offered to make me a man." He smirked. "You're not even one yourself."

Blood's back hit the canyon wall, and he stopped, cornered. Cyborg leveled his arm at Blood's head, and his sonic cannon unfolded slowly, part by part, with little hisses of air.

Eyes looked deeply into each other. Blood's steely set was now full of fear, twitching in wild panic, and Cyborg's dark gray ones were steady and unforgiving.

It was as if time had temporarily stopped, and all of the sounds of the fight in the background had faded away into nothing. Just the two pairs of eyes, one calm, one frenzied. They were breathing almost in sync, and the only other noise was the low humming of the weapon mere inches from the one man's face. Cyborg swallowed and studied Blood's expression. There was no honor, no dignity in the prospect of defeat. Just cowardly, pathetic fear.

Cyborg fired, and Blood's unconscious, beaten form slid down the cliff and collapsed at his feet. The metal Titan stood over his foe, victorious, and saw the Ion Amplifier crack and shatter, crumbling to pieces around Blood's arm. Cyborg didn't smile, just looked to the orange sun as it sank beneath the gentle waves.

"Boo-yah."

(…)

The swirling noise had stopped, replaced by a deep humming that vibrated in Raven's very soul. The environment was black again, but she could hear perfectly well. She had managed to pick up that Gizmo and Mammoth were now present, and that Robin wanted her husband to take her and Jinx and leave. Beast Boy had been right, she didn't want to leave. But Robin was stubborn, and now Beast Boy was going to have to take her, against her will, away from where she felt she was needed most.

She looked back behind her at the one spot that hadn't returned to normal, where the two colored ovals still floated; white and green.

_I still need to figure out the meaning of that,_ she promised herself, _but not right now. Right now, I need to wake up. Can I…?_

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" she breathed, slowly spinning in a circle. The blackness blinked white for a second, then was still.

"Did it work?" Raven asked the emptiness. There was a suffocating lack of response.

Then, suddenly, everything was rushing away at speeds unimaginable, and light was seeping through the maelstrom, growing brighter, and she could see a green face forming…

(…)

Beast Boy watched as Mammoth and Gizmo put blow after blow into the creature's tough skin, their teamwork perfect, down to a science. The monster could barely keep up, and the same went for Robin, Starfire, and Bumblebee, who were forced to join Flash in keeping the soldiers at bay. Even with all of this happening, the throngs of troops still filled in any holes completely. He doubted that he could make a charge or fly away without being shot at least seven times. Probably more.

He looked over at Jinx, who was still unconscious. Her eyelids would twitch occasionally, distressed frowns flickering in and out of existence in the spaces of heartbeats. As he watched she sucked in a quick breath, and her thin, pale fingers tensed.

He then turned his eyes to Raven, his wife, his lover, and soon to be partner in parenting. It pained him to see her in such a condition, with her arm twisted in a painful way underneath her, and long, ugly scrapes and cuts marring her flawless gray skin. Blood was bubbled at the corner of her mouth, and he gently wiped it away with his thumb. Now it looked as though she could be sleeping, or resting. He was rocketed back 15 years or so, back to an anonymous event where, after a tough battle with some forgotten villain, Raven had collapsed on the couch and had, perhaps unintentionally, rested her head upon his shoulder. She had looked so peaceful then… so beautiful…

There was yet another sonic scream, ringing painfully in his ears, and Beast Boy turned to see all of his friends being blasted off their feet by one well-aimed beam of sound. Soldiers attempted to move in, but a lightning-fast blur knocked them back yet again.

"Robin wants me to leave, Raven, and take you along…" Beast Boy told her, even though he knew she couldn't hear. "I don't want to leave them all behind… I can't…betray them like that, y'know?"

"I do. You're not seriously thinking about doing what he says, are you?"

Beast Boy whipped around. That had been Raven's voice… and that meant…

It was Raven. With her eyes open. Awake.

"Thank God…"

(…)

Mammoth had to admit, the monster was tough. Really tough. He doubted any other creature had taken that many punches from him before and not backed off. Or died.

But he had a plan. All he needed was one person.

"HEY FLASH!" he roared as Gizmo took over in beating the beast backwards with a multitude of rockets. "YOU AROUND?"

There was silence, then a faint reply.

"Yeah, I'm here. What's up?"

"Where are you?"

As a response, Mammoth felt a tap on his right shoulder, then his left. Whirling around he managed to catch sight of a vibrating blur with red hair before it zoomed away.

"What's up with you?" the giant asked.

"I was running at the speed of sound earlier. I've managed to slow down enough to hear, but I can't stop completely."

"That makes this better. I can get you stopped and beat this monster all in one move, but I need your help. You in?"

"Absolutely. What's the plan?"

Mammoth held both of his arms out in front of him. "Grab my arms and run in a tight circle. Gizmo, you know what to do."

The hack nodded. "Get a move on, pitsniffer!"

There was a burst of dust and suddenly Mammoth was twirling around, spinning faster and faster until all one could see was a blur. The centrifuge was developing into a tornado right in the middle of the battlefield, sucking sand and rocks off the ground and pulling them into the whirlwind before slinging them back out at high velocity.

"Ready?" Mammoth asked, voice warped by the fantastic speed at which he was moving. Gizmo was still studying the monster, which was slowly rising to its feet.

Flash apparently decided to kick it into high gear, sending the cyclone swirling faster and more violently. Gizmo adjusted his rockets to counter the vacuum pull and watched the bionic creature open its enormous jaws and begin its firing sequence.

"Gizmo, it's now or never!" Robin shouted, clinging to a boulder. Starfire and Bumblebee struggled in the air while the soldiers were being knocked over like Kevlar-outfitted bowling pins. The man with the jetpack raised a hand, signaling Robin to be patient. The lights in the creature's throat grew brighter.

"Gizmo!" Starfire shouted in warning. Gizmo turned and shouted an all clear to Flash, who let go of Mammoth. The fastest man alive slid to a stop, and the giant flew through the air at an almost unimaginable speed, soaring right up to the monster's face and burying his fist in its upper jaw. Everyone watched as the creature's mouth flew closed, almost in slow motion, and the sonic scream was met by indestructible metal teeth. The raw power of the attack was forced back down its throat and into its core.

Then it exploded.

Only the Titans and former HIVE members had the reflexes necessary to be able to jump behind some cover before the waves of fire reached them. The front lines of soldiers fell like dominoes; skin burning through like paper, and the rest were thrown off their feet and into the cliffs. Some were sent skidding across the beach and through the surf. Cyborg had to jump over Blood's motionless form and shield him before the destruction reached them, the white heat darkening his broad back. Raven had been able to cast a shield around her, Beast Boy and Jinx, parting the firebomb like a knife. There was a final, deafening roar, and then all movement ceased. It was as if every living thing left was holding their breath.

Then, suddenly, everything started moving again.

The soldiers that had survived the blast immediately leapt to their feet and began firing their weapons. Robin and Starfire appeared out of the fray, closely followed by Bumblebee, and ran to Beast Boy and Raven, tugging on their arms and trying to get them up and running. Cyborg leapt over the rocks and was in front of them, gesturing towards the inland and away from the cascade of bullets.

It was chaos, they were running and dodging, Robin smacking shots out of the air and Cyborg firing behind him into the mass of soldiers while Bumblebee and Starfire made sure Raven and Beast Boy kept moving.

_What's going on?_ Raven wondered frantically, trying desperately to make sense of the insanity around her, but failing. _Do we have everyone? Where are we going?_

"LET'S MOVE!" Cyborg's booming voice echoed above the gunfire, and Raven saw he was pointing up a small crevice in the rock that led deeper into the cliffs. Beast Boy pushed her ahead of himself, shoving her up the minuscule natural stairway and into a rounded out area in the rock. Bumblebee, Starfire and Robin quickly filled in behind them.

"Raven, I realize you've just woken up, but you need to teleport us out of here!" Robin shouted above the noise. The soldiers were getting closer.

"Wait, hold on a second," Raven protested, but Robin interrupted.

"NOW, RAVEN! WE CAN'T AFFORD TO WAIT!"

Raven sighed, swallowed nervously, and closed her eyes. There was a few seconds of intense concentration, then a flash of black.

When the soldiers finally caught up, they found the canyon empty.

**And it only gets more exciting from here. Brace yourselves.**

**I would like to present you readers with a challenge before stop writing and go watch some Teen Titans. I'm currently developing my own plot for Teen Titans Season 6 that I plan on posting. It will be in episode format, but not written like a script. Each season (for I will be making more than one) will have a standard 13 episodes, with 5 episodes directly pertaining to the plot. I already have these 5 planned out, but that leaves 8 episodes that I have no idea what to do with.**

**So I'll leave it to you guys (and girls). What did you always want to happen in the series? What minor villain did you want to make another appearance? Any awkward situations or romantic mishaps you want to see happen? Send a review or a PM!**

**I will leave some restrictions, though. I want this to be as much in character as possible, so please no suggestions like "Beast Boy and Raven have hot sex" or anything like that. That's not gonna happen. I'm also, for the sake of my season plot, going to pretend that the episode "Things Change" never happened. So there will be no Terra and no Slade. And no mysterious white creature.**

**The main series plot also focuses mainly on Starfire and Robin, so I would appreciate more ideas pertaining to everyone else. No OCs, either, I already have one.**

**No, I'm not trying to stifle your creative vision, I just want ideas I can actually use. If I use your suggestion, I will credit you!**

**This is ComposerDragon signing off for now. Good luck!**


	10. In The Desert

**After a long, uncalled for, and unannounced break, I am back! I'm working on several other projects, and they momentarily took top priority. No longer!**

**I would like to say that I made an extra long chapter to compensate for the break, but it just turned out that way. Think what you will :)**

**Oh yeah, btw, I have a Fictionpress account now! Im ComposerDragon on there, too. I have yet to post anything by me, but I am posting a story that my friend wrote for her, and let me tell you, it's worth reading. She would love some hits and reviews, and she deserves them!**

**Now for reviews…**

To Peyton Adalyn: **thanks for the great ideas! I regret that I won't bring in Superboy, for it would be too similar to Young Justice then, but the rest of them… interesting…**

To Linzerj: **I can tell you for certain that im going to use at least one of your suggestions. Very nice! And thanks for the compliment, I was actually worried about Gizmo and Mammoth. I was thinking that Mammoth talked too much and Gizmo too little…**

To Black Thorn Angel: **Thank you! And sorry for the long wait.**

To FelynxTiger: **radical AND extraordianary… wow! That's high praise indeed. And as for Gizmo, we would have to say you're welcome.**

To longliveteentitans: **ah, interesting. Hope you like chapter 10 just as much as chapter 9.**

To Beautiful Storm Dancer: **Ah! Dramatic!**

To Densharr: **ooh, good ideas! I like them!**

To Gingerstorm101: **aw, writers block sucks, doesn't it? And this story isn't going to get that violent… at least, not yet, I don't think. We'll see…**

To K-Flyer: **the best ever? … wow… thank you! That makes me feel very happy! And thank you for all the good ideas!**

To ehitch1: **oh dear… you have followed me here! And yes, I wrote more… we're at chapter 9 now… and that's my sis's turn. And thank you for not giving anything away… everyone else will find out soon, though…**

**Thank you, everyone, for all the great ideas for the new episodes! I'm happy to say that I have begun work on the first episode, and have plans for season 6 and season 7, at least. Thanks again for waiting for this chapter, and I hope you like it! And also remember to check out my friend's story, Crashing Down, on Fictionpress!**

**Enjoy…**

There was a burst of black, a jumbled mass of screaming and rumbling, and suddenly Beast Boy was rolling across the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Robin tucking into a front roll and Cyborg sliding across his chest, shouting, but then he flipped over again and all he could see was black. A few pebbles and little mounds later, he was laying flat on his back, covered in sand and sweat, staring up at the sky. The whole empty expanse was deep navy blue and cloudless, save for the very edges, which were tinted orange still. The sun had finally set. Stars were beginning to twinkle out of the void like tentative children in a classroom reluctant to raise their hands.

Instantly Beast Boy's thoughts turned to Raven, and he threw himself to his feet with a spastic jump. Everyone was present, as far as his adrenaline spiked mind could tell. Robin and Cyborg were close to him, slowly rising to their feet, and Bumblebee and Starfire were a bit further back in the direction of the spot where they had been violently teleported to. Sitting the furthest away was Raven, head buried in her knees and surrounded by blackened and scarred earth. Beast Boy sprinted across the desert ground and knelt down beside her, checking her all over for injuries.

"Raven, are you okay?" he asked, breathing hard. "Are you hurt, are you in pain, is there something wrong?"

Raven let out a choked sob that shook her shoulders and looked up at him, small tears beginning to glint over her eyes.

"We had to leave them behind, Garfield," she whispered, voice shaky. "Wally and Jenny… they're back in the battlefield…"

Beast Boy whipped back around. The desert was flat as a sheet of paper, and he could see everything for miles. The only figures around were Robin, Cyborg, Bumblebee, Starfire, Raven, and himself. Flash and Jinx were nowhere to be found.

"No… we couldn't have…" he muttered desperately, shaking his head. "They were right with us, I saw them!"

Raven bit her lip and choked back more tears. Beast Boy had rarely seen her so broken down.

"I'm so sorry. I can feel it, they're not here. And if they're at the old camp, that almost certainly means that they're…"

The words died in her throat, and she buried her face back into her knees. Beast Boy swallowed hard and turned to face the other Titans, who had overheard and were standing there with looks of disbelief and sorrow etched across their faces. Beast Boy rested a hand on his wife's slender shoulder and gripped it tightly.

"C'mon, guys… we'd better set up camp."

The Titans set about Beast Boy's instructions with empty expressions on their faces. How could they have left them behind? They were Titans, they were family. Jinx had been incapacitated… and they had left her in the midst of hundreds of soldiers and a telepathic madman who was bound to wake up eventually. Sure, Flash would fight, and take out an impressive amount of soldiers in the effort… but it wasn't enough. Even with Gizmo and Mammoth… it wasn't enough.

They were as good as dead now.

Robin grit his teeth as he kicked rocks out of a certain area, trying to make as flat a campsite as possible.

_It was me who forced us all out of there so fast,_ he growled to himself. _I was so busy focusing on Garfield and Raven that I forgot all about Wally and Jenny. How could I? I'm the leader, I'm supposed to keep the team together and safe. It's my fault they're gone, now. It's all my fault._

Cyborg stood a ways off, typing commands into his arm and turning up all of his sensors to stretch a square mile in every direction, so no one could sneak up on them.

_I should have taken all of those soldiers out when I had the chance,_ he lamented. _I looked back multiple times, too… why didn't I see that Flash and Jinx weren't with us? I have every method of protecting all of my friends, my family. I still wasn't strong enough._

Beast Boy, despite his own directions, was sitting cross-legged on the ground beside his wife, head in his hands. They had no supplies now; whatever hastily gathered materials they owned had been torched and ripped to pieces with the rest of the tank. It was in the belly of a mechanical hybrid beast now.

No, wait, it had blown up. It was all ash now.

Again.

_I was supposed to watch over Jinx during that battle,_ Beast Boy scolded himself. _She was lying RIGHT BESIDE ME! I am a loser. How could I fail so badly?_

Raven had not left the position she had been in when they had arrived. Tears had turned the dry, sandy ground beneath her wet and salty.

_I had sensed that something was wrong as we left. I felt it. Why didn't I say anything? If I had… Wally and Jenny would still be alive._

Their "camp" was ready in a matter of minutes. They had found a large rock sticking out of the desert, and they had used scraps of material they had on them to make a small tent-resembling structure. Everyone agreed that Raven should get the shelter. She wasn't speaking, so there was no stubborn refusal like there would normally have been.

Everyone was lying on their backs around a starbolt-lit fire, trying to get some good sleep. The stars had exploded into brilliant being as the sun finally disappeared, sprinkled around an enormous full moon, hanging in the black sky like a glowing medallion. Beast Boy sat under the tarp with an arm around Raven, whispering to her as they watched the night get deeper around them.

"We'll all be okay, Raven, don't worry," he promised, rubbing her shoulder reassuringly. "We'll lose the government and get a new house in a nice city, with big trees and a huge backyard. Everyone else will move in nearby, and when Emily is born we'll all go to a nice park, or walk to the ice cream shop. We'll read out loud to her every night, and maybe we'll have a cat. Several cats. And a new garden…"

He looked over and saw that while tears still stained her face, a sad smile was twisting at her lips.

"What?" he laughed.

Raven pulled some of her violet locks behind her ear and scooted closer to him. "It sounds so nice when you describe it like that, and it's what I've always wanted. It's never going to come true."

"You never know… you never know…" Beast Boy sighed. "You should really get some sleep, or meditate, or something," he told her. "You're pendant won't stop glowing."

Raven glanced down to see the piece of jewelry practically floating off her skin, gleaming like a little flashlight.

"I'm not sure if I can," she confessed. "The last time I tried, I had terrible visions."

Beast Boy pulled her in and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I'll be right here."

Raven nodded. "If I manage to make it into Nevermore, I might be there for a while."

"And I'll be here when you get back."

Raven smiled lightly, kissed Beast Boy on the lips, and settled into her meditative stance.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

(…)

"Raven? We haven't seen you in a while."

Raven floated down into the midst of Nevermore to see Knowledge waiting for her, yellow cloak pulled tightly around her. The environment was the same as it had always been: dark skies with red stars and lots of floating stones. A couple of dead trees clung to the edges of the barren islands, their twisted branches populated by black birds with red eyes, silently looking on.

"To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure I could make it here. The last time I tried, it wasn't here."

Knowledge raised her eyebrows in an expression of genuine surprise. "Really? And I'm supposing you have no idea why, right?"

"You 'suppose'," Raven scoffed. "Of course! You already know this, I know you do! It's your job."

"Just trying to be polite," Knowledge said calmly, folding her hands behind her back. "And while I only know as much as you do, I think I know a way we can find out even more."

Raven blinked. "How?"

"That pendant of yours is a direct link with Azarath," Knowledge explained, smiling ever so slightly. "We can also connect subliminally."

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and waved a hand. "So wait… what?"

"You're tired, I understand," the emotion said. "All in all, we can open a portal and ask Azarath ourselves. I'm thinking most of your problems are due to your pregnancy, and who better to ask?"

"So let's go," Raven said, pushing past, but Knowledge stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait…" she said. "Let's call a meeting first. I think everyone needs to hear this."

(…)

Raven sat a ways away, posture impeccable and eyes closed, her mouth a thin line. Beast Boy couldn't help but stare, eyes freely roaming over her body.

"Damn…" he whispered. "I'm lucky."

"Are you?"

Beast Boy jumped, leaping into a fighting stance, but then saw it was Bumblebee, propping herself up on her right arm, studying him with her dark eyes. The flames of the dying fire lit up her lean form, tucked up neatly against Cyborg's massive body.

"I mean, you're being hunted," she elaborated. "They won't bargain anymore; they'll only settle on killing you both."

Beast Boy shrugged. "There's always someone trying to kill us. This is nothing new."

Bumblebee raised an eyebrow, and the changeling sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Okay… you're right, I know. We might not even make it out of this."

A look came over Beast Boy's face that was unlike anything Bumblebee had ever seen before.

"We might never get to see our daughter's face."

Both of them resorted to studying Raven's motionless form as she meditated, hair blowing slightly in the cold night breeze. Her stomach was only beginning to show a bulge.

Beast Boy swallowed hard. "I really don't deserve someone like her," he muttered, almost to himself. "How I managed to actually appeal to her is still beyond me."

"Hey, see here now! Don't say that!" Bumblebee cried, straightening up a bit. Her wings buzzed unconsciously in agitation, and she winced. They were still badly ripped. "You two are perfect for each other! Don't let anybody tell you different!"

She took a deep, calming breath. "She really is lucky to have someone like you."

"Is she really?" Beast Boy muttered, resting his head on his aching arms, stretching out across the sandy ground.

"Yes," Bumblebee said firmly. "You and Sparky over here are similar in at least one way. You'll never give up on Raven and I. Same with Dick and Kori over there. We're all here for each other. We're a family."

A small, sad smile found its way onto Beast Boy's lips, exposing the persistent fang that had always poked out. He then yawned hugely, stretched out his shoulders, and rolled over. Within a matter of minutes, his breathing had settled into a steady rhythm, and Bumblebee closed her eyes as well.

(…)

"Is everyone here?"

"Whatta you think?" hollered an obnoxious voice from the back of the group. "Idiot."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Rude, please. Control yourself."

Rude stuck out her tongue as a response, and Raven rolled her eyes. She glanced at Knowledge, who nodded slightly to her. Everything was in order. It was time to begin.

"Okay, so everyone… quiet please?" Raven addressed her emotions. She had gathered them all on the largest island. There was an altar-looking object at the far end of the clearing, and it was upon this that she was perched. It chilled her to think what the altar's purpose originally was, but as it was snapped in half, she supposed it was symbolic. All of her emotions were gathered before her, and despite her requests, the traces of conversation still hovered in the air.

"HEY!" Brave shouted from the front row. "PAY ATTENTION!"

Everyone fell silent.

"Okay, guys, I want you here, but you have to be quiet, okay?" Raven told them, trying to meet all of their eyes individually. There was so much _purple_. "I'm opening the portal now."

She turned back around and sat on the cold stone, both hands delicately fingering the small crystal hanging from her neck. She began to chant softly, and the faster she spoke the brighter the stone glowed, until it was shining like a star.

Happy shot a confused glance at Knowledge. "I thought it was instantaneous!" she whispered.

"That's for transportation," Knowledge explained, eyes never straying from the real Raven. "If we want to keep a prolonged portal open that we may speak through, there are a few more details required."

"That's funny," Happy giggled, and Knowledge sighed.

Raven had finished her incantations, and with a deep buzzing sound the pendant lifted off her chest and flashed a brilliant white. There was a rush of wind, and suddenly a hole was ripped in the air in front of them, about the same diameter as the width of a car. Milky light swam across the portal for a few seconds, but then everything snapped into place and the streets of Azarath were visible.

"H-hello?" Raven called into it, unsure as to its functions. "Where did this thing open up? Can anyone hear me?"

"That's the temple," Knowledge said quietly, voicing the realizations Raven had just come to. "Arella should be there."

"Hello?" she called again. "Arella?"

"Raven?"

Arella's smooth voice coaxed a sigh of relief from Raven as she entered the room. Although seeing a portal opened in the wall showing a world with dozens of multicolored Ravens must have been rather disconcerting, Arella showed no signs of shock. Or, for that matter, emotion.

"Raven, it's good to see you. What's going on?"

"Mother… I have questions. I was knocked out, and I couldn't access Nevermore. I'm plagued with irrational visions, and my powers are on the fritz. Can you help me?"

"Oh, dear," Arella said, though her face remained impassive. "What's been happening?"

"The United States government is convinced that Emily is a vessel for chaos, prepared to explode as soon as she is born. They have been hunting us across the West Coast for a couple of days, aiming to eliminate her for the safety of the planet."

"That's absurd!" Arella huffed, and her eyebrows raised. "You are to come through this portal and take refuge here! Come!"

"No," Raven said firmly. "I am not leaving without my husband and friends."

A distressed look flickered across Raven's mother's features briefly. "Please, daughter…"

"No."

Arella sighed in defeat. "Raven, you are the only Azarathian that is part demon, so things may be a bit different for you. The nearest I can guess is that your body is unconsciously safeguarding the baby, even at its own expense."

"Excuse me?"

"When female demons are with child, they shut down. They do not move, and they cannot react. They are able to withstand whatever comes after them, however, because they are so resilient. I believe that your prolonged unconsciousness may be explained by this."

"My demon blood is causing this?" Raven asked. Arella nodded.

"You have a human body, though, so your shut down only succeeds in exposing you to harm. Perhaps a prolonged meditation will override that instinct."

_So it wasn't the claw after all… at least, not entirely. _ "What about my powers? And Nevermore?" Raven insisted.

"I have a theory," Arella said softly. "I believe that your body is aware that the energy it can control finds its roots in evil. It may be keeping you from accessing Nevermore and using your powers to protect your child."

"More demon blood, huh?" _Yep, it's definitely not the claw's fault. _ Raven muttered. "Why is am I taking such sensitive precautions?"

"Azarathian unborn are infinitely more sensitive than humans. Their minds are completely open, and their bodies have not developed resistance to magic. It is this that enables us to work energy the way we do, and comprehend the ways of the universe on the scale that we do, because we absorb _everything_ as we develop. But if you use any of your demon powers, Raven, you run the risk of implanting demon energies within Emily. She may become exactly what the government says she will."

"They're right?" Raven gasped, and there were several gasps from the more sensitive emotions behind her.

"They can be, but not if you are careful," Arella warned.

"What about my visions?" Raven asked.

"What do they consist of?"

"Blood… and death. Everyone dying. Emily dying…"

Raven shuddered and stopped speaking, and a look of sympathy crossed her mother's face.

"I'm afraid that that may only be your fears amplified through your meditative abilities. I'm sorry, Raven, but there is no way to fix that."

Raven sighed. "Thank you, mother. I must go now."

"Are you certain you will not join us here?" Arella pressed.

"I am certain," Raven said, staring deep into her mother's eyes. "Goodbye."

Her hands left the crystal, and the portal faded away into mist.

Raven sank down onto the altar, pinching her brow, and the emotions she had gathered began to disperse. Soon only Knowledge remained.

"Now would be a good time to meditate," she advised. "See if you can override those demon instincts of yours."

"Yeah," Raven agreed, slowly rising to her feet. "And maybe find out about those two ovals I saw earlier."

(…)

When the sun rose, Raven had not moved an inch. Her ripped white T-Shirt, torn up jeans, and violet hair wafted around her in the breeze, but her face looked as though it had been carved from marble. The pale nature of her skin only added to this illusion.

"Raven…" Beast Boy breathed, watching her for any signs of life. Her chest rose and fell so little that only his eyes were sensitive enough to detect any movement.

"Garfield? What's going on?" Robin asked, walking up to their tent-ish structure. "Why isn't Raven moving?"

"She's meditating," Beast Boy explained quietly. "She's trying to figure out what happened during the battle."

Before Beast Boy could stop him, Robin had lightly shaken Raven's shoulder. She resisted the motion, but did not react.

"She's in deep," Robin muttered. "It'll probably be a while before she wakes up again."

"What now?" Cyborg asked, rising slowly to his feet, mechanical joints groaning. "We can't move with Raven in that condition."

"True," Robin said. "We really need at least a day to recover. That last battle wiped all of us out, and we're out of supplies. Raven's teleportation should have thrown them off for a while, so we'll be fine to wait."

"I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait here," Bumblebee said, hopping from foot to foot, wings buzzing lightly. "I need to fly."

"Actually, I was planning on sending you out anyway, if you don't mind," Robin confessed. "Can you fly out to the next town, maybe buy some supplies or get some info?"

Bumblebee smiled darkly. "Just the kind of work I excel at."

She positioned herself to take off, but Cyborg stopped her with two enormous hands on her shoulders.

"Karen…" he said, looking deeply into her eyes. "Be careful."

"I will," she promised, and gave him a light kiss on the lips. Then, with a flex of her wings, she was in the air and speeding away.

(…)

Brother Blood awoke on an operating table, tied down on his wrists and ankles. He strained against them, or at least tried to, anyway. His limbs were deactivated, and all he could move was his head and neck.

"You have failed us, Blood."

The mind reader whirled around to see two men standing in the doorway to the dark room. One was a man in a black suit, with short silver hair and dark eyes. The other man was mostly bathed in shadow; all Blood could see was a military outfit stretched over a massive frame. Heavy black boots adorned his feet, and thick black gloves covered his hands. Only one of his eyes was visible; the rest of his face was cloaked in darkness.

"You're my employer?" Blood asked, trying fruitlessly once again to break his bonds.

"Indeed, and you have demonstrated that you are incompetent on a grand scale. We send you after a small number of the Titans armed with an army and one of the most destructive biological weapons we have to offer. More than 80% of your men were killed, and 10% of the survivors were seriously injured. There was no remnants of the mechanical beast. We had to put you on life support for several hours in order to safely reactivate you." The larger man's smooth voice turned harsh. "We will not honor our deal. You are going back into jail, and will never see the light of day again."

"No!" Blood snarled, jerking his head around, teeth bared. "You will free me!" His eyes glowed red.

The man with the silver hair made to undo the bonds, but the larger man put a gloved hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Your ridiculous mind tricks will not work on me, Blood," he said, and if his face hadn't been hidden, Blood would have sworn he had been smirking. "Guards, take him away from here."

Four men in dark uniforms entered, unfastening the belts around Brother Blood and taking his limp body away.

"Who are you?" Blood screamed back at the two men in the dark room, desperately twisting his neck around in vain efforts to liberate himself. "What sort of general are you, to hire criminals and hunt down superheroes? How can you resist my control so easily?"

The smaller man flinched backwards, but the man with the one eye remained impassive, arms folded calmly behind his back.

"Just call me Mr. Wilson. That's all you need to know."

(…)

Bumblebee touched down on the desert ground with a puff of dust, wings fluttering, and tossed a newspaper down into the midst of her team. She then wiped her brown and sank to the ground, leaning against her cybernetic husband.

"What happened?" Starfire asked as Robin picked up the paper. "Did you get any supplies?"

"No, too dangerous," Bumblebee panted. "Look at the headline."

Robin raised an eyebrow and obliged, clearing his throat before reading aloud.

"Titans Declared Enemies of Global Peace," he announced. "Governments Around the World Issuing Warrants For Arrests."

Immediately he whipped his communicator out from his belt and sent out a call. Beast Boy crawled over from his post beside Raven so he could see the screen.

"Arsenal!" Robin called into the speaker, desperately waiting for a signal. "Roy! Are you there?"

Static flickered across the screen, and suddenly video feed was established, showing the bouncing corridor walls of the archer's base in Steel City. Apparently the communicator was still attached to Arsenal's hip. They could see rubber bullets bouncing off the walls at crazy angles, and in the very corner they could see the edge of a bow, continually shooting off arrow after arrow.

"Richard!" the former Titans East member shouted as he fought. "There's authorities at my base! What the hell is going on?"

The screen tilted crazily, and suddenly the hallway was sideways, the floor taking up half of their vision.

"Ah! Get off me, you lousy… help!"

The feed broke, and they could see no more.

"Roy! Roy!" Robin screamed. There was no response.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the blank screen. Suddenly the Titan's symbol flickered back on, signaling an incoming call, and everyone jumped.

"Hello, Robin? Richard? Are you there?" called a voice, and the accent made the owner's identity unmistakable.

"Argent!" Starfire called. "Argent, are you okay?"

"I'm being attacked by bloody cops!" the New Zealander heroine shouted back, the screen showing glimpses of her panicked face between bouts of static. There was a burst of feedback over the speakers, and Argent screamed.

"Argent!" Starfire screamed, fingers anxiously digging into the ground. Everyone else sat in shocked silence.

"Help! Help!" the Honorary Titan could be heard shouting. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

The connection cut, but not a full second afterwards three more calls came in.

"Hello? Anyone?" called Pantha, before she was cut off by Hot Spot.

"Is anyone there? Help!" he called, but then Kilowatt appeared. He didn't even have time to say anything before three new calls came in over top of him; one from Bushido, one from Aqualad, and one from Red Star. All of their voices, the calls previously, and new calls streaming in all meshed together, forming a screaming cacophony of pleas for help and gunshots. As the screen flickered from call to call in rapid succession, there was one thing in common between them all; the presence of men in uniforms and the blinking lights of squad cars following each hero and heroine.

"Help!" all of them called almost in unison, and then, one after another, the calls ended.

(…)

Raven floated above the altar she had been previously sitting upon with the host of her emotions, legs folded and hands resting gently upon her knees. Her closed were closed tightly, and her eyes were shifting constantly beneath them. While she appeared calm enough, the visions she was having was anything but.

Raven gasped as the influx of red finally subsided.

"There," she panted. "That should suppress that shut down instinct of mine." She had been required to fight her way through her own demonic defenses to negate its effects, but she was confident now that wouldn't pose a problem anymore. She was tempted to wake back up so she could sleep, but she had one thing to take care of first.

_Those ovals I saw… those colored ovals,_ she thought. _Emily's aura… what happened to it?_

Taking extra care to suppress her powers, Raven opened the window of sorts that separated her conscious mind from her child and looked in. Immediately the chaotic burst of colors, motion, and noise was back, knocking her senseless for a few seconds, but she managed to recover. The same vision as last time was showing again, the white oval of light splitting into a green one of equal intensity and shape, both flickering at the same pace. They both hovered there amidst the crushing noise and swirling rainbow of insanity, seemingly unaffected.

"What are you?" Raven called out to the vision, acting on a whim. "What are you showing me?"

Everything blinked, and she could see for a fraction of a second two faces; one a girl with bright green eyes and red hair, and the other a boy with purple eyes and black hair. Both seemed to be the same age, but while the girl seemed happy, the boy did not.

"Who are these people?" Raven called, still not sure if having a conversation with her deep subconscious was actually accomplishing anything. She remembered the picture of the girl, with her sparkling green eyes. They were so familiar…

"Was that Emily?" she asked. She received no response, but felt inside herself that she was correct. But wait… if that was Emily… who was the boy?

Purple eyes…

It briefly occurred to Raven that she had just accomplished foresight, something she had never even come close to before, but her other realization made at the same time was much more important.

"Oh my god…" she gasped. "I have to tell Garfield."

(…)

Beast Boy had taken up his post beside his wife once again, watching the orange sun sink slowly behind the desert mountains. A cool wind rushed across the sand, blowing some of it into his lap as it ran into him, blowing his green hair around his head. He reached up to wipe some of the sand off of Raven's face, but jumped and yelped in surprise when her violet eyes suddenly opened and she fell to the side. He caught her and guided her into his lap.

"Raven!" he said in surprise, and the other Titans whirled around. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"The government's going to be really mad at us now," Raven replied, smiling.

"Why?" Beast Boy asked, confused. Raven only smiled even larger.

"I'm having twins."

**What's gonna happen?**

**I already know. Heck, I already have two whole books planned out after this. But you guys don't know! Whee-ha!**

**So yeah, I'll try and update sooner next time. … I promise!**

**And I'll say it a third time cuz it's so important; read Crashing Down and leave a review! You won't be sorry! I'll be posting the second part soon.**

**Who's the mysterious Mr. Wilson? Are Flash and Jinx really dead? What's going to happen now that all of the Titans are being hunted down again, but this time by the law?**

…

**TWINS?**

**Only time, and my devious little mind, will tell. I would love a review, and more episode ideas are always welcome!**

**Seeya soon, hopefully.**


	11. The Silent Attack

Onto Chapter 11! I'm tempted to apologize for a shorter chapter, but it's really not. It's just short compared to the last three.

**This chapter sees an appearance from everyone's favorite Caped Crusader! Yay!**

**Now for the reviews. **_**Man, **_**do I love reviews. They taste like lobster (which is delicious)!**

To FelynxTiger- **the good thing about Slade is that he does impressive entrances so… **_**well. **_**It's a part of his coolness.**

To Guardian of Night- **thank you! Cliff hangers are so deliciously evil.**

To black thorn angel- **I'm glad you want to read more. It shows I'm doing my job as a writer :)**

To Linzerj- **Slade's behind EVERYTHING! He always is!**

To listen2music4ever- **Wow, thank you! I wish I had fast reading skills. So far, I only have medium-slow reading skills. Not quite as impressive, I must admit.**

To luna827- **It hurt me inside, to do what I did to them. I was crying man tears.**

To Gingerstorm101- **it's one of the fattest hints I've ever dropped… wow, that sounded gross. Btw, do you want blood, as in the character, or blood, as in the liquid that runs within the human body?**

To RavenBeastboy19- **SUPER TWISTINESS! Lol.**

**Well, I should let y'all read the story now… I've got nuthin else to say.**

**Oh, wait! Yes I do!**

**Remember that story I mentioned last chapter that my friend is writing? Crashing Down? On fictionpress? YA GOTTA READ THAT! There's also another story by my other friend, ehitch1, on fictionpress, called SOAR. YA GOTTA READ THAT TOO! Super epicness is contained within both stories. Read them!**

**Well, time to present the part of this chapter that I actually **_**worked **_**on.**

**Enjoy…**

Beast Boy practically fell over then and there.

"Wh-what?" he gasped.

"Twins," Raven said again, smiling in a very uncharacteristic way. She then cocked her head to the side, staring at Beast Boy. "That means two babies instead of one."

"I know what twins are, Rae," Beast Boy assured her, rubbing his forehead. "Wow… twins."

"Oh, what joyous news!" Starfire squealed, in a _very _characteristic way, and flew over to them. "I am so happy for both of you!" She then proceeded to wrap Raven in one of her infamous bear hugs, squeezing until a vein began to show in Raven's neck.

"Hey, way to go, green bean!" Cyborg laughed, slapping him on the back. Beast Boy, still being rather dazed from the news, almost fell on his face from the blow. Bumblebee, laughing as well, helped him to find his balance again.

"Congratulations to both of you," Robin said, smiling. "I can only imagine how happy you must feel."

"Happy… shocked… scared…" Beast Boy laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "What's the difference?"

Raven shot him a look, didn't stop grinning.

"Although… Raven's right," Robin said, scratching his chin, serious look on his face, even behind the sunglasses he was wearing. "The government will be angrier than ever, now that the 'threat'" he put air quotations around this word, "is twice as large."

"Oh, stop being so serious for once!" Bumblebee sighed, pulling out of her hug with Raven to talk to him. "How can things really get worse, honestly? What haven't they pulled out on us yet?"

"Atomic bomb," Cyborg muttered, but his words were as clear as church bells.

"This is a happy time," Bumblebee insisted, trying to skip over the morbid observation made by her husband. "Put your paranoia away."

The Robin of the past would almost certainly have gotten defensive and started spitting venom, but all he did now was shrug and laugh. "Blame Batman, not me."

"Speaking of Batman," Starfire said slowly, "and I hate to stay on this topic, but… where is he, anyway? Why have we not received help, or even any contact, from him, or any of the league?"

Everyone fell silent, pondering the answer to this question. Where _was_ the league?

"We can figure that out later," Robin decided. "For now, we celebrate."

The rest of the Titans nodded, agreeing. It was a feeble attempt at happiness, after seeing all of their teammates arrested, and so soon after the certain deaths of Flash and Jinx, but no one was going to turn it down. Anything to forget the nightmare of the past month.

Raven, despite her excitement, was the least willing to throw a party. She still had to deliver the important information she had learned from Arella, and it seemed wrong to her to celebrate when they should be preparing for the army that was almost certainly coming. They would never be able to stay hidden; she didn't see how they would even make it out of this alive. The odds were staggeringly hopeless. It would take several days to open a portal to Azarath big enough to fit all of them through, going overseas was out of the question, and even Atlantis seemed like a long shot at best. The Atlantean government would probably be on the same side as the rest of the world.

Beast Boy, who had gotten over his shock and was now holding Raven in his arms, shook her out of her pessimistic thoughts. He smiled warmly, brushed some of her violet hair behind her ear, and planted a passionate kiss upon her lips. It took Raven only a second to return the kiss, deepening it. The rest of the Titans cheered.

(…)

Robin sat alone on the bluff above their campsite, staring out into the desert night. It hadn't been much of a party in the standard sense; they were in the middle of the desert, after all. Mostly they just sat and talked, recalling old missions and telling jokes. It had been a welcome dose of normality.

Another wave of hunger gripped Robin's stomach, and he winced. These reminders of their lack of food were coming more and more often. They hadn't eaten since the night before they had been forced to flee his house. That was… was it only three days ago? It seemed like months. And in those three days they had fought two massive battles, each time barely getting away with their lives. The scars from their last fight still hadn't healed- yet another reminder of their dire situation.

What most concerned Robin at that moment as he stood watch over his friends and family as they slept beneath him, though, was Starfire's words from earlier in the day. _Where is he, anyway? Why have we not received help, or even any contact, from him, or any of the league?_

He intended to find out.

Taking care to leave his Titans communicator untouched, in case the signal it sent would be intercepted, Robin reached deep into his pocket and withdrew a small device he had not used in years. The Batwave. The device was so secretive that not even the government could read it's signal. Taking a deep breath and steeling his nerves, he pressed the contact button.

There was a light beeping noise, a flicker of static, and suddenly the face of the Dark Knight filled up the screen.

"Dick?" he asked, sounding as surprised as the Batman ever did. "Are you okay?"

"I need answers, Bruce," Robin said bluntly. "Where is the league?"

Bruce Wayne sighed heavily, running a gloved hand over his face, careful not to disturb the cowl.

"I'm sorry, Richard, I truly am," he confessed, his voice slipping out of its rough disguise to that of the real man. "The league has been forced to take a stance of neutrality. We are forbidden to help."

"Why?" Robin spat, outraged. "We're practically members!"

"But you're not," Batman pointed out. "And anyway, even if you were, we may have taken the same course anyway. Ultimately, the Justice League serves the governments of the world, and it seems that not a single one is willing to stand beside you. It would be blatant mutiny if the league were to step in."

"But that's stupid!" Robin growled. "What about _justice_?"

Batman sighed again. "And I'm afraid to say that not all of the league is eager to help, if they could. Several of the members truly believe that what the government predicts is true."

Robin refused to speak.

"Superman feels that it would be safest if the government's wishes are met. He is afraid that, if Emily does become a vessel for chaos, that all life will end. It will make Trigon's initial ascent look like a child's firecracker of the Fourth of July."

"And I suppose you feel the same way?" Robin said darkly, eyes cruel and accusing.

"No. I am one of the few who does not support our lack of action."

"Then do something," Robin insisted.

The Batman looked stuck, which was a rare thing. "I can't. If the league interferes at all, even if it's only one member, then our reputation will be shot. We will be taken out systematically, just like the Titans were."

"Some of the Titans _were_ league members."

"And we feel the loss, we truly do," Batman confessed. "But we cannot do anything. I'm sorry."

The connection was cut, and the screen went black.

"Fat lot of help he was," Robin snarled, throwing the Batwave away from him, where it bounced off rocks loudly until it reached the desert floor. "Idiot leaguers. 'Must maintain our public image.' What a load of shit."

All of Robin's anger suddenly left him, however, and he stared at the moon, a feeling of helplessness growing within him.

"What now?"

(…)

Below Robin, sheltered beneath the makeshift tent, Beast Boy and Raven lay in silence. Beast Boy had his arm wrapped protectively over his wife, and while he was able to drop off within a matter of minutes, she was laying wide-awake.

"Garfield?" Raven whispered, her voice so soft it could barely be discerned from the light wind blowing about them. Even so, the green changeling stirred.

"What is it?"

"I have to tell you what I found out," Raven breathed, trying her best to look like she wasn't talking. The effort was unneeded, however, for everyone was asleep.

"Okay. Shoot,"

"First off, I found out why I passed out for so long," Raven began, eyes roaming to the arm that was draped over her. "It's a natural instinct for demon mothers."

"Raven, you're not a demon," Beast Boy pointed out.

"Maybe not mentally, but by my blood I am," Raven explained. "That's why they're chasing us in the first place, remember? I did manage to override that, though. It shouldn't happen again."

"That's good news," Beast Boy said, gripping Raven's hand. "What else?"

"I found out what's blocking my powers so much."

Beast Boy waited as Raven figured out how best to explain.

"It's also an instinct. My body knows that my powers come from Trigon, and therefore have evil roots. If I use my powers as much as I used to, I will taint Emily."

"And whoever else is there," Beast Boy added.

"Yes… both of them," Raven said softly.

"And what would tainting do?"

Raven swallowed. "They would turn into exactly what the government says they will. All existence will end."

Beast Boy tensed up. "But wait, we've been teleporting almost nonstop recently, have we already gone too far?"

Raven shook her head. "No. We're not there yet. It would be best if I don't use my powers from now on, though."

"Robin will be overjoyed," Beast Boy laughed softly.

"He'll have to live with it."

They lay in silence for a couple of minutes, staring out into the darkness that sat thickly at the edges of the fire's glow.

Beast Boy suddenly reached over and gently turned Raven's head towards his own. Before she could ask what he was doing, he pulled her lips into his own. The kiss lasted for several seconds before Raven pulled away.

"Way to change the subject," she laughed. "Although it wasn't unwelcome."

Beast Boy shrugged. "I'm not sure how many more times I'll get to do that. Might as well cram in a few extra."

Raven bit her lip, and two thin tears leaked out of her closed eyes, staining the sand beneath them.

Beast Boy noticed that she was crying. "Rae… are you…?"

He didn't have time to finish. Raven suddenly twisted and rolled on top of him, kissing him passionately. She made sure to wave a hand at the fire, extinguishing it with a spurt of black energy and plunging the campsite into pitch darkness. The only thing that remained was the light sound of scuffling against the rough ground.

(…)

It was one-o-clock in the morning, and the desert landscape was still caught heavily under the think blanket of night. Clouds were surprisingly heavy, blotting out the normally vivid stars, and the moon, which had been hanging enormous by the horizon earlier, was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a bright flash cut through the ink of the night like a bolt of lightning, burning the darkness away like a match to gasoline.

It was a searchlight.

It scanned the sand, which turned white and dead under its gaze, until it came upon a rock formation jutting up out of the flat ground. The light's movement immediately ceased, and soon other lights flickered on, in a rough circle around the camp, all locked onto the same spot. Together, they illuminated the whole area, and revealed the slumbering forms of six young adults, two of them beneath a feeble excuse for a tent.

There was a muffled voice from a speaker beside the first spotlight, and suddenly thousands of pairs of red eyes clicked on, glowing maliciously in the shadows surrounding the powerful bulbs, completely encircling the campsite. There was just enough light to see that each pair belonged to some sort of creature, the same height as a man. They wore simple, black, form fitting outfits, with dull metal guards on their shoulders, forearms, shins, and hips. Simple, intimidating masks obscured their faces. Half black, half copper. They stood perfectly motionless, gazing down upon the campsite, completely unaffected by the stinging winds throwing sand at them. Not creatures at all, but machines. A sleek, stylized 'S' adorned each of their chests, over where their heart would be, if they were human.

Another grainy order was broadcast through the speaker, and smaller, dimmer, lights ignited behind the ranks of soldiers, just illuminating the forbidding, blocky forms of rocket launchers. As one, all of the shots arced into the sky in a puff of acrid smoke, sailing down from all sides into the center of the campsite, in which the five young adults were only just beginning to wake up. There was a bright flash, outshining even the lamps, followed by a dull thump that disturbed the sand, ruffling it around as if something was moving beneath it. An enormous plume of smoke erupted from ground zero, enveloping everything, the searchlights, and the motionless soldiers, spreading out like a deadly miasma.

The five men and women were down in a matter of seconds. Their starved, exhausted minds were no match for the knockout gas.

One by one the lights shut off, their loud fans whirring to a stop as a nondescript black van drove backwards across the sand through the cloud of gas, manned by another featureless drone. It stopped just outside the camp, and eight more drones sprung out of the back, setting about the task of dragging the subdued heroes into the back. The half-mechanical one would be a challenge, he almost weighed more than the rest combined.

The gas was already beginning to clear, and the army of robots that had encircled the camp began to file away, dragging the lights with them. Their purpose had been to keep anyone from escaping, had anyone overcome the gas. Their master always planned ahead.

A singular gust of wind blew across the desert, dispersing the cloud and diluting it. The van was gone, the army was gone, and all that remained were the dead ashes of a cold fire, a mess of footprints, and a single man standing on a faraway dune, surveying the scene with his single eye.

Yet another dramatic ending. It keeps y'all guessing.

**I went to Disney World! Epicness abides there! I rode Expedition Everest for the first time and it ROCKED SOCKS! I also rode Tower of Terror, and by the end of our wait in line my group and I had a small girl singing Michael Jackson with us. Good times…**

**READ SOAR AND CRASHING DOWN! I PUT THESE NOTES IN ALL CAPS SO THEY GO STRAIGHT INTO THE "IMPORTANT MESSAGE" PART OF YOUR BRAIN!**

**Btw, I was listening to the soundtrack for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as I wrote this, and it RULES! It's got some of the best music I've ever heard in it. **_**That's **_**how good it is. Even better, since I just went to the Harry Potter World at Universal :D**

**The next chapter is where it gets confusing, so enjoy the simple plot there has been thus far while you can! And BATMAN! **

**More episode ideas for my season 6 project are always welcome, and REVIEWS ARE NICE!**

**Yoink. **


	12. Double Cross

**Yeah, sorry I'm late. Like, 5 months late.**

**I really don't have much excuse for being late, so go ahead. Read me the riot act. I deserve it D:**

**The note at the end of this chapter will explain all this in more detail. Make sure to read that.**

**Reviews:**

To FelynxTiger- **thanks! The guy who made Soar is named ehitch1. The story Crashing Down story is on my fictionpress account, which is also ComposerDragon.**

To aussietin- **no, your fine. Everything is politically correct here! I can say that the villains play a much more prominent role later. How much later? Depends.**

To Linzerj- **frying pan and pitchfork? I feel sorry for Slade.**

To Gingerstorm 101- **really? The lines were so short when I went on.**

To luna827- **twice the work. And Raven isn't known for her incredible patience…**

To listen2music4ever- **thanks for pointing that out, I didn't notice that. That was an error; there really was 6 Titans present.**

To black thorn angel- **aw, thanks!**

To TheCopyUniverse- **thanks.**

**So, yeah… again, sorry about the wait. I hope that this chapter makes up for it. **

**Enjoy…**

Raven lay on the bed, exhausted. She felt as though she had just run eight marathons, fought off Cinderblock with a toothbrush, and lifted Titans Tower all in quick succession.

She appeared to be in a hospital, and her room was empty. Several congratulation cards and a bouquet lay on the small table beside her. Outside it was cloudy, and the pulled curtains only made the room even dimmer. It was almost as if the world was in shades of gray. Her bed was set at an angle, at least, and she was in a moderate sitting position.

Suddenly, the door to her room opened, and she could see out into the hall. There was a surprising amount of people outside, but none of them were her friends. Where were they?

A hand clamped onto the door, and Raven's eyes were immediately drawn to it. It was clad in a black glove, and connected to a muscular arm within a white sleeve, which was connected to a white suit…

Raven's breath hitched in her throat. It _couldn't _be.

The man in white stopped and pressed a finger to his headset, listening, then stepped aside to allow someone to enter the room. In stepped Beast Boy, sporting a wide grin, which showed off his sharp teeth.

"Garfield!" Raven gasped, trying for all her worth to sit up, but failing. "Didn't you see? He was right-"

She suddenly stopped talking as she noticed what her husband held in each of his arms. There were two bundles of soft white blankets, and he was holding them very tenderly. Suddenly, a pale, chubby hand reached out of one and grasped at the air.

"Wanna hold your baby, Rae?" Beast Boy laughed, and carefully handed over one of the bundles. Raven instantly forgot the man in white and the fact that she wasn't even close to delivering yet, and took the small child and held it close. It was the female of the twins, Emily, with pale skin and a small tuft of violet hair curled over her forehead. Her eyes were closed, and her face was that of utter peace.

Raven couldn't help it; a tear ran down her face. "She's beautiful," she whispered.

Then, suddenly, Emily's eyes snapped open. Instead of purple or green, like Raven was expecting, her eyes were solid, glowing white. Red lines of scar tissue began snaking their way across Emily's face, bleeding slightly. The hospital room was suddenly filled with rushing wind.

"Gar!" Raven called out, but to her horror, Beast Boy was on the floor, eyes blank and empty. The twin that he had been holding was lying beside him, wailing, even as the ground began to crack around him. The walls were suddenly swept away, revealing a violent thunderstorm outside. The cloudy sky had huge cracks in it, leaking harsh white light.

"You didn't listen!" the man in white shouted from the door. "We said this was going to happen!"

He choked, then crumbled to dust.

Emily turned and looked Raven in the eyes, her own now being empty pits.

"Goodbye, mommy," she said.

Raven's heart _jumped_, and she woke up.

_Of course it's a nightmare_, she thought bitterly, closing her eyes again. _I can't fall asleep without having one._

Something was off, though. It was cold, and unnaturally dry, like the air was recycled. Beast Boy's arm was no longer around her waist, but there was something around her ankles.

_Did Garfield go over by the fire?_ Raven wondered, and opened her eyes.

She was greeted, not with a fire, but with metal bars.

_Oh, great,_ Raven thought. _I'm in prison, aren't I?_

Further exploration revealed this to be true. She was lying on a metal, shelf-like bed within a cell that was about a quarter of the size of her room back in Titans Tower. Everything was metal; the walls, the floor, the ceiling, and long lines of studs created strange patterns on the walls. It was frigid, and all of the air seemed to flow out between the bars on the door of her cell, creating a veritable wind. Outside, she could only see a narrow, dark hallway. What she had felt around her ankles had been massive cuffs, so heavy she could barely move her legs.

Raven figured that, normally, she would have been able to break out of a cell such as the one she was in within a matter of seconds. But, with using her powers presenting such a danger, she was helpless.

Perhaps whoever had captured them knew that.

(…)

Robin woke up staring into the eyes of another man.

Correction, into the _eye._

This was all it took, and Robin instantly pieced it together. Between him and the other man were the bars of a prison cell, and he was chained to the floor. The air was icy, and metallic. It tasted of iron.

"Slade," he growled, clenching his fists. "We've seen so many scum-bags recently, I was wondering when you'd show up."

Slade was unmoved. He did not speak, and he did not blink. Robin's expression of hatred was reflected back in the metal of his mask, but the emotion did not reach to the man beneath it. After a few seconds of staring, he brought his wrist up to his mouth and spoke into the communicator that was fastened there.

"Robin has woken up," he reported simply. He cocked his head, apparently listening to a response that Robin could not pick up, and began to walk away.

"Working for the government, eh, Slade?" Robin pressed. "If I remember correctly, the last time you went as hired help didn't turn out so well."

Slade had never risen to the bait of an insult before, and he did no different now. A few steps carried him around the corner and out of sight.

(…)

"I was wondering when you'd show up."

Beast Boy groaned and pressed a hand over his ear. "Shut up, Robin, we're sleeping," he muttered. He motioned to pull Raven closer to him, but was met with only air.

"Raven?" he asked, feeling around. No Raven. No desert, either.

Wait, who was Robin waiting to show up?

Beast Boy opened his eyes, and jumped. _What the hell…?_

When did this happen? He was in a cell, wrapped up in a straitjacket that was chained to the wall behind him. Everything around him was made of metal, and any sound he made echoed for several seconds. He transformed into a python and made for the exit, but the jacket constricted as he changed shape. He morphed back into a human, and thank goodness the jacket could grow as well as shrink.

Suddenly, a ringing sound. Rubber on metal. Someone was coming.

Slade walked passed, back straight and eyes ahead. His arms were folded calmly behind him, and he appeared to have no emotion at all. He was even better at being stoic than Raven herself.

Speaking of whom…

"Where is my wife?" Beast Boy asked, straining against his bonds. "Where have you taken her?"

Slade didn't even stop; he just walked away.

"Garfield?" Robin asked, voice distorted by the strange walls. "Is that you?"

"Dick!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Man, am I glad to hear you're okay. Where is everyone else?"

"No clue," Robin confessed. "I can't even see you. I can't see anyone."

"I hope Raven's okay," Beast Boy prayed, casting a glance skyward. "We are in trouble."

"Have we faced worse?" Robin asked, very well knowing the answer.

"Yes," Beast Boy admitted. "Though, Raven's already died once. I'm not losing her again."

(…)

Starfire instantly knew where she was. The feel of bonds was painfully familiar, even after all these years. She would never forget those months of capture on her way to the Citadel.

Her cell was all metal, as was the hallway outside. The air was frigid, and she shivered involuntarily. Looking down, she could see that her legs and arms were bound with thick chains that buzzed strangely, and dense gloves covered her hands. Something told her that these gloves and chains would negate her powers. She decided to save her energy and not even try.

The prison she was in was virtually silent, so any sound echoed. This is what made her able to hear the footsteps approaching a good couple of minutes before their owner appeared. He walked past her barred cell door without so much as a glance. He came and went within a second, but Starfire instantly knew who he was. The mask was unmistakable. The fear he exuded, also unmistakable. She recognized the pain he had caused her friends and family.

Slade.

Starfire's eyes narrowed and started flickering to glowing green and back even after the man had long since left. Her advanced hearing, and the echoing walls, lent her to still be able to hear him, though, and she focused all she had on picking up his words.

"I have succeeded where you have failed," Slade said. "Now, I expect my payment. You know I don't work for free."

"You have succeeded, and we commend you, Slade," said another voice that was remarkably similar, yet smoother and more refined. "We do not, however, see fit to reward you for a public service."

This gave Slade a pause.

"We. Had. A. Deal," he said coldly. "You agreed."

"Indeed we did," the other man said, and his voice suggested that he was smiling slightly. "But what makes you think we keep our word to criminals?"

"You promised that, if I captured the Titans, I could have the sorceress's daughter," Slade said, voice even despite the situation. "Given that I hold the keys to their cells, I would imagine that you would feel a bit more inclined to satisfy my wishes."

Starfire gasped, she couldn't help herself. So _that's _what Slade was doing here. He wanted Emily.

"You forget that this base is filled with my soldiers," the man said. "You have no control here."

He apparently turned to someone else. "Take the base." He was met with a short "yes sir," and then the sound of several men walking away on a metal floor.

Starfire sat back, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Raven…"

(…)

Beast Boy and Robin had long since lapsed into a tense sort of silence, waiting for something that they both hoped wouldn't happen. They knew, deep down, that the next time someone came to get them, Raven would be dead, and it would be their turn. The silence of their cells didn't help much, either. All they could hear was their breathing, and it was disturbingly easy to count how many they had left. All they could do was wait for their lives to end. It was thoroughly depressing.

There were footsteps in the hallway again, but this time they were hurried. Slade appeared before them, and without a word began to work at the lock on Robin's cell.

"Come to kill us, eh Slade?" Robin sneered, struggling against his bonds. There was a snap, and the door to the cage swung open. Slade stepped inside and began expertly working at Robin's chains, long fingers making quick work of the lock. The bonds fell to the ground, and Robin stood up, free, rubbing his wrists. He instantly dropped into a fighting stance, ready to engage in combat with Slade, but the masked man nearly stepped aside for Robin to exit the cell.

"You're setting me free?" Robin asked warily, not dropping his guard. "Why?"

Slade's gaze was incredibly even, and despite the rage in his eyes there was much more stirring beneath. So much more. He was plotting something.

"A deal's a deal," Slade said simply. "I suggest you free your friends and leave before the soldiers arrive. Tick tock, Robin. Time is running out."

A small pill fell from his fingers, exploding in a pillar of smoke once it hit the ground. The haze didn't even have to clear for Robin to know that Slade was long gone.

(…)

Hopelessness. That was how Raven would explain the feeling that weighted her heart as she waited for the end of her life.

It was similar, in a way, to how she had felt prior to Trigon's ascent. Complete and utter helplessness. The overwhelming sense that there was no chance of happiness. Robin had always said that she was the most hopeful person he had ever met. She sure didn't feel like it then.

This feeling, she eventually decided, was worse than her previous destiny. For all her life she had known what Trigon was going to do. She knew that there was not even the slightest chance of preventing, or even delaying, the inevitable. In this case, however, the government had come out of nowhere and taken away everything that was important to her. She had finally had a life, and now it was gone. And the worse part was that she had tried. She had really tried. And she had still failed.

She sighed and rubbed a hand over her stomach, wincing as her shackles pulled on her wrists. It wasn't about her, really. It was about the twins. She had failed them too.

She couldn't stop the crystal tears that leaked slowly from the corners of her eyes. In her entire life, had anything _ever_ been fair to her? Only Garfield and the rest of the titans truly understood her, and now they were gone, too. Flash and Jinx were already dead, there was no denying that now. That was also her responsibility.

"I'm sorry, Garfield," she whispered.

"Sorry for what?"

Raven flinched and stared up. Robin and Beast Boy were outside her cell. After a few seconds the door was open, and a few seconds after that the shackles fell. The locks were no match for Robin's veteran fingers. Raven stood slowly, rubbed her wrists, and then threw herself into Beast Boy's arms, pressing her lips against his in a passionate kiss. He wrapped her into a strong embrace, taking in the smell of her hair, the feel of her smooth porcelain skin. Robin allowed them brief respite in each other's company, marveling at how well they fit together, but then gently broke them apart.

"We have to move," he said. Raven nodded.

"Where are the others?" she asked, staying close to Beast Boy, leaning against his broad chest.

"I don't know, but we need to find them quickly. There will be soldiers coming to kill us any minute, and I don't have any weapons."

"How do we know there's soldiers coming?" Raven asked. "How did you get free?"

Robin sighed heavily, as if he still didn't believe it himself.

"Slade."

The layout of the base was very similar to a labyrinth; multiple different identical hallways crossing over and through each other in a seemingly random pattern. Raven, however, had always had a fantastic memory, and in place of getting lost they soon arrived at Starfire's cell. As soon as she was freed, she and Robin wrapped each other in a brief but warm embrace, and then headed back down the hall with renewed urgency as Starfire told them how she had overheard the government betray Slade, and how he had wanted Emily for himself. This made Raven frown, but she wasn't really surprised.

The building they were in had obviously been built for government offices, not holding prisoners. The cells that held the Titans were the only ones there, and they were built into random spots in the walls in between heavy office doors. The cells had probably been built especially for their arrival. They had encountered no soldiers yet, but they knew they were on surveillance. The lack of offense on the government's part was disturbing.

"Knowing Slade, he probably took out the men stationed in the surveillance room," Robin said.

"Why is he helping us, anyway?" Raven asked. "We're captured. Isn't this where he wants us?"

"I told you, Raven, Slade's only interested in getting Emily," Starfire said. "I suppose, if he can't have us, no one can."

"There's a good chance he'll just capture us as soon as we get out of here," Beast Boy pointed out.

"We'll have to take that chance," Robin said. "There's not much else we can do."

Cyborg's cell was very near to Bumblebee's, and once again Robin made mincemeat of the locks. Like the others, they both held on to each other for a long time. It seemed that all of them had never expected to see each other again.

"C'mon, let's go," Beast Boy said, and once again they were sprinting through the endless hallways, following the mental map that Raven had made. The location of the entrance was a mystery to them, but they would just have to keep looking until they found it. It seemed as though Slade had made his disappearance permanent.

Crashing through a relatively unremarkable door, the Titans stumbled into a room that looked so much like a hotel lobby that it was laughable. The front desk was empty, but a pair of feet in flats stuck out slightly from behind it. It couldn't be less obvious that Slade had preceded them to make sure their route was clear. Ignoring the body, they looked across the room to the swinging double glass doors that led outside. Beyond them was a courtyard, a thick concrete wall, and through the gate, the desert. In this case, it looked like a safe haven.

There was no point in stopping; it wouldn't lessen the danger that was almost certainly waiting for them.

"Alright, Titans, run fast and run hard. No matter what, you sprint for that gate. Got it?" Robin said.

Cyborg smiled. "Just like football at the park. Piece of cake."

Robin smiled, too, just a slight twitch of the mouth that covered the tension, for but a moment.

"Titans go," he said, and suddenly all of them were sprinting for the doors. They burst open before them, glass snapping, and they made a beeline for the gate across the gravel drive. They were about halfway there when turrets unfolded from the wall in front of them, trained with lethal accuracy on the group. Cyborg tried to activate his cannon, but his arm merely emitted a clicking sound.

"Damn… they cut the circuits in my arm," he muttered. "I can't make my sonic cannon."

Raven was unable to make a shield, so they stopped in a huddle, facing outwards at the guns. They did not shoot, however, but merely held them in place as hundreds of soldiers flooded out of the building behind them, surrounding them in a tightly knit circle. The courtyard was packed to the brim.

Once again, they were surrounded.

Robin grit his teeth, but couldn't think of anything to say, encouraging or otherwise. The soldiers stayed motionless and stoic, probably waiting for the arrival of their leader to either deliver his demands or the order to fire.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, a dark figure leapt into their midst. They could only catch a glimpse of a copper mask, a single eye, and the word "Run" before something was tossed onto the ground.

Chaos. Pandemonium. The world was a distorted mass of color and noise and Slade's bomb wrenched the courtyard apart. The Titans stumbled, struggled, ran blindly through the haze, and even after they passed the twisted remains of the compound gate they kept moving until the army base was nothing but a bright star on the horizon, glaring against the early morning sky. They fell to their hands and knees, breathing in short gasps. Beast Boy retched onto the ground. Raven lost her balance and fell, and Robin was barely able to catch her in time.

"Is everyone okay?" Robin asked, helping Raven to her feet again. "Raven?"

She nodded shakily, eyes wide and filled with starbursts of the blast.

"Beast Boy? Starfire?" Robin asked. He was met with answers of varying enthusiasm. Starfire was grinding her palms into her eyes, trying to rid her senses of the effects of the bomb. Beast Boy stopped choking long enough to answer, but another wave of nausea rendered him incapable of further speech. Raven moved over to help him.

"Cyborg? Bumblebee?" Robin continued. Cyborg gave him a dazed nod.

"Bumblebee?" Robin asked, turning in a circle.

She was nowhere to be found.

**Oh dear. That can't be good at all.**

**So yeah, here's that note at the end I mentioned. Read this. It's important.**

**I suppose that the real reason that updates have been slow is just that… I've been busy. Sophomore year just started, and I'm averaging 6 to 7 hours of sleep a night. I've got jazz band early in the mornings (the class BEGINS at 6:50), and I've got marching band for two hours after school. Homework has been murder, too, and I'm still trying to get into a groove that works. I'm also taking an AP US History course (in other words, a college class), and it's pretty challenging.**

**That's what's been plaguing me for the past few weeks, but what about pretty much the whole summer?**

**I'm starting to get a lot more into original fiction (y'know, the stuff that can actually make me money at some point), and Condemned has been moved to the back burner. I'm working on 5 different projects right now (count em, FIVE), and I'm swamped in plot-work and prewriting. One of the projects has 4 books, another has 6, and another… I'm not even sure yet. At least 3. I'm also writing a full musical score for another one, as well as a few concept pieces for another. I even did a quick little 7 second animation for one. **

**So, I'm going to work some more on these. I'll work on Condemned when I have a bit of spare time, but everything else takes immediate top priority. Sorry. I will post some occasional one-shots, too… probably.**

**Not to leave you hanging, though, here's some short little previews of my original stuff. These stories will show up soon on Fictionpress, so check me out there (I'm ComposerDragon there, as well).**

**-Luminis et Tenebrarum: this story is one of my favorites. It's got ancient lore, epic battles, angels, demons, love, hate, twists, turns… it's something else. If you like the action in Condemned, read this one. It also has a full score (currently in the works) that will be posted on my YouTube channel. My name there is IceCreamIslander. Yes, I know the name is stupid. So sue me.**

**-What Happened to Happy Endings?: my first realistic story; no magic or mystical creatures or anything. It's hard to classify what this story is (part thriller, part mystery, part something else entirely), but it's pretty good. It's written in first person, with a fair bit of sarcastic humor thrown in there, but it's also dark. Very dark. Probably my darkest story to date. There's a concept score being made for this, but I'm not sure if I'll ever post it. If I do, it'll be on YouTube as well.**

**-Underground: find yourself missing superheroes? Well don't fret… I took my Teen Titans season 6 idea and bent it into something entirely original, my own superhero TV show. Despite being a TV show, it'll be written out like a story. There's 6 planned seasons, 90 some-odd episodes, and it'll have a lot of the stuff that made Teen Titans great. It will follow the stories of the young heroes Thirteen, Echo, Spectrum, Pulse, and Ember as they fight off rampant crime.**

**So… yeah. Look out for those stories coming out soon, and expect at least a couple new Condemned chapters soon. I'll try my very best.**

**Bye for now!**


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